The Chosen One's Wrath
by LegionZ
Summary: Ash is betrayed by those he holds close to him. Six Years Pass by. The Alola Region now has a Pokemon League, with it's Elites and Champion supposedly wielding absurd power. The Traitors arrive in Alola, eyes set on winning a legendary tournament. They think he's dead. They're about to be very disappointed. (Rating is for Mild Language) (Ash and May, Pure Advanceshipping)
1. The Ghost of Alola

**Hey everyone! Let be the first one to welcome all of you to my brand new betrayal fanfiction! If you all have not read my last fanfiction that specifically outlined an "Ash Betrayed" style, please go read it! It's called The Betrayed Rises. I'll admit, it is very choppy. However, that was my writing style four years ago, and I believe it's greatly improved. Whether I show it is your opinion I suppose.**

**So I did a tally of what story name you all wanted, and The Chosen One's Wrath won by a landslide. I did also look up the name to make sure it wasn't used… naturally, there was one called "Wrath of the Chosen One". However, this name still won by over double digit votes, so we're rolling with this one. This is, as it was in my last story, subject to change as anything is possible. **

**Another thing I'll talk about here is the pairing situation. As you all can probably see by the information, this is an Ash x May fanfiction. I don't really know what ya'll wanted to be totally honest. At first, it was at least 90% of this fanbase on the Team Lillie train. Now, after I eliminated Anabel and Iris as Ash's potential pairings, everyone randomly hopped on the Team May train. Okayyyyyyy? Don't really know what changed in such short time that made ya'll turn your backs on Lillie, but that's okay. The Alolan girls will be used in this story, but none will be romantically involved with Ash. **

**The story will be pure Advanceshipping, one of the more underused shipping's in my opinion, but one of the best. I won't reveal the traitors until you actually read the story. I will, however, say this: Everyone in the Alola region is an ALLY to Ash. You'll have to read to figure out their roles, but Ash's best friend and Ally is not an OC like in my last fanfiction (The LOS Chronicles).**

**Nonetheless, there are OC's in this fanfiction. Ash is very powerful in this fanfiction as well, but there is not going to be any aura involved. Red Satoshi is not involved. I am trying to make this fanfiction as best I can based on the will of the community, because everything I type is for you all! This fanfiction, I spent a lot of time thinking about and preparing, so I really do hope you enjoy it!**

**As usual guys, if you all have anything to say to me, please let me know! I always look over the comments, though I always don't respond to them. Usually, if you ask me an outright question, I can always directly respond to it. I check fanfiction email usually bi-daily, sometimes more. Feel free to review/PM me if you all have anything to say! Constructive Criticism always accepted ****. **

**The first chapter, ironically, will not be a flashback. I expect later chapters for that. It will make sense in time about everything that is going on.**

**I'll say a few more things here about the story to set some things straight. The story begins right off after Ash has finished off the Kalos region. In other words, he has NOT left for Alola. If you expect Ash to keep all his Pokémon, you're about to be sadly disappointed. Why do you ask? You'll need to read for that. The "Four Move" rule is in effect at all times. No exceptions there. If you haven't watched Pokémon Sun and Moon (Alola Region Series), you're going to be very confused by some of these Pokémon, but not all of them. The story is also going to be rated T, not M. Every story I've done prior to this has been M, but I've decided to try and take it down a notch and see what happens. There will be tiny bits of fluff to keep all you Advanceshippers at bay, but there are no lemons in this story (Unless I change it). Updates for this story come out every week.**

**One final thing to hit: PLEASE FOLLOW AND FAVORITE THE STORY! It would mean a lot to me guys, so show your support! Thanks guys!**

**Enjoy Everyone! Much Love!**

**For the First Time… LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 1**

_Indigo Plateau…_

On one sunny afternoon in the Johto Region's Pokémon League, everyone was bustling or glued to a television screen. Today, there was a battle occurring like no other. There had been a trainer who had somehow managed to get through all of the elite four in Johto, and was now vying for the title of Grand Champion. Of course, the battle was a sold-out affair. The moment that the news had hit the public that someone was actually trying to take control of the champion seat caught the world by storm.

Everyone was talking about the impending battle as though it would be the last thing everyone would ever talk about. There was so much hype around the matchup that it was not only being televised nationally, but worldwide. There was a legitimate belief that the challenger could knock off the champion, and for that much, everyone was flocking to watch this monumental battle.

The hours ticked away before the battle, and by that time, people were tired of waiting. They wanted action, and there was no time left to wait.

Two hours had passed since the beginning of the introductions before the battle. The crowd was roaring as the Pokémon did battle on the battlefield below. The atmosphere was intoxicating, primed with the adrenaline of the occurring battle. On one side stood a young trainer that couldn't be more than 11. He had dark black hair and had a determination in his eyes that could barely rival anyone. On the other side, stood a young man with spiky red hair. His cape stood bellowing in the wind as he prepared to finish the battle.

The battle was coming down to the wire, however, there was no dramatic finish to be seen. For those who had been hoping for the colossal upset, they were all sadly disappointed. After defeating the elite four, the challenger had been stopped cold by the champion, and was now on the brink of elimination. Trailing 5-2, he needed a small miracle to win. He cried out.

"Elektross, use Thunder!" As the Unova-Native Pokémon began charging up the attack, the champion called out his move. "Finish this! Use Draco Meteor!" The two attacks then collided, created a massive explosion on the field. The challenger had lost his focus, but the champion had not. "Now. Finish it with Fire Punch Dragonite!"

Through the smoke came a speeding figure: the champion's most trust partner. A loud explosion covered the field once more, and when the smoke cleared, Elektross was on the ground unmoving, signaling the end of the battle. The crowd exploded into roars as the referee made the declaration. "Elektross is unable to battle, Dragonite wins! And therefore, the winner of the championship matchup goes to the defending champion of the Indigo League, LANCE!"

The crowd was cheering his name, to the man who had ruled their fair regions for so many years. Lance thanked his Pokémon profusely for its effort, then walked to the center of the stage, where his opponent was waiting for him. The boy smiled. "Sir, thank you so much for the battle, I had a lot of fun! We need to battle again someday!"

Lance let a smile creep onto his face. He couldn't help but admire the cheerfulness of the young man. He spoke with a smile, "Yes, we shall indeed. Thank you for this battle, and may we meet again." The two shook hands and cameras from nearby reporters began flashing rapidly. Lance gave one last grin and nodded to the boy and said. "Until we meet again… Trex." He then turned and called out his Charizard, who had not received any battle time against Trex, and flew off into the setting sun.

_Later that Night…_

Lance collapsed on his couch inside his royal chamber. He was positively drained. He was beyond blessed to know that the public and formal interviews with the media about the battle were not until tomorrow, because he seriously just wanted a moment or two to breathe and think it out. He flicked on the television with all of his Pokémon still resting peacefully nearby and relaxed further. The first thing that appeared was a reporter talking about, what else, his battle with Trex.

Lance rubbed his temples soothingly, Trex truly had some incredible battling skills, he had gotten fortunate to nail him so hard in the championship match. In all honesty, there had been a nagging thought in the back of his mind that told him he was destined to lose to him. But Lance knew that Trex, as powerful as he was, was not the one destined to hand him his first loss as a champion.

He was turned from the thoughts when the information bar beneath the reporter lit up in bright letters saying:

"_**LANCE IS… UNDENIABLY… THE MOST POWERFUL TRAINER IN THE WORLD."**_

Lance chuckled softly and shook his head. If only the world knew the truth…

That gave him a thought. Curiosity getting the better of him, he took out his Pokégear and called someone that he had begun to talk to quite a bit more as of recently. It rung softly for a few moments until he heard someone on the other side say.

"_Hello?"_

Lance smiled lightly. "Hello Zandra… did he watch it?"

"_What do you think? Of course he did. He was just as pumped up as I can ever remember seeing him. You really oughta pay him a little visit out here one of these days…" _the girl on the line said.

Lance chuckled. "I'll see him soon, after all, Charles called for that meeting. I'll end up seeing him there."

"_Still though, I wouldn't mind seeing you either. I won't be at that meeting… don't you want to see me too?" _the girl teased.

He felt his cheeks heat up a little and then replied as calmly as he could. "How people call you the ruthless is beyond me, your name should be the tease."

"_Hah, wouldn't you like that to be the case? But in all seriousness, everyone out here wants to see you sometime soon, not just me."_

Lance smiled and got up to stare out the window. The night sky was beautiful in Johto, but where she was, it was even more amazing. He knew it was going to be amazing seeing her again, but he was more excited to see _him _again. It had been quite a few months now, and he was looking forward to seeing his good friend.

"I'll see you all soon. Tell him I said hi, later Zan."

_"Catch you."_

The line was cut off, and Lance was left to ponder in his own thoughts. He recalled the incident that had brought them close enough to consider him a brother to Lance. However, Lance shuddered at the memory. As well as it turned out in the end, the damage had been done, both physically and mentally. It was nearly impossible to open up to for anyone because the incident was so horrific and sad. He could only imagine the pain his close friend had gone through. With that thought, he sat back down on the couch, lost in thought.

How was he doing after the incident? Sure, it had been years, but it left his scarred mentally and physically. Of course, that hadn't even been the entire situation. The guy was abandoned by his girlfriend, tossed into a natural hazard, betrayed by his so called friends, lost the majority of his Pokémon, and had his body scarred in just a week's time. One. Week. How does anyone even recover from that?

Lance knew that had the incident happened to him, he likely wouldn't have survived it. It still made him wonder how he was doing, but most of all, he wondered just how powerful his friend had become, for they had never battled, but, for the position that his friend was in, no ordinary trainer could've ever gotten in the spot.

After all, how many people do you meet will ever say they were the Champion of the Alola Region?

_Alola Region…_

It was a beautiful sunny afternoon in the Alola Region. The sun was shining, people were bustling up and down the roads, Pokémon were playing with their trainers… everything was at peace. Across the ocean a fabulous distance, there was Aether Paradise. There, many Pokémon were healing, training, and preparing to face their world after being saved by a group of people that called themselves the Ultra Guardians.

It also just so happened to be in control of a woman named Lusamine. This woman had devoted her life to trying to see creatures named Ultra Beasts up close. Ultra Beasts were like Pokémon, except they had strength that rivaled legendries and were unseen to the human eyes, for the most part. However, after a close call that nearly resulted in her losing her life along with her daughter, she decided that these Ultra Beasts were not meant to be on their fair planet. Because of this, she devoted herself to protecting Alola by capturing Ultra Beasts that would enter their world…

… and then send them back to their world. This way, the peace was kept between Ultra Beasts and those in the Alola Region and Pokémon world. However, she couldn't have done it without the assistance of the Ultra Guardians. Though it seemed completely odd for those who didn't know the group, it made total sense in her eyes.

That very same woman was sitting in thought at her desk, overlooking the beautiful Alola region. Her mind wandered to the Ultra Guardians once more. Every member of the Ultra Guardians, aside from herself and her group at Aether Paradise, had been less than 15 years of age when the Ultra Guardians had formed. That day was around 6 years ago. How far they had all came in 6 years was staggering.

Sure, they all had different jobs now. Of the group, there had been 3 girls and 3 boys, and how different they had all become. The first girl, Lana, had travelled to the Sinnoh Region many years ago in search of the legendary Lake Guardians, Azelf, Mesprit, and Uxie. She only had just recently gotten back home. The second girl, Mallow, was different in that retrospect for a time being. Unlike Lana, she opted to stay home and help out her father with the cooking business for a good few years. That all changed when her brother, Ulu, returned home from his cooking journey that he had been on for many years. She then decided to leave on her own journey for over two years to learn the secrets of cooking. She only ever returned home for one thing: Ultra Beast sightings.

The last girl of their group was her own Daughter, Lillie. She herself couldn't believe how strong her daughter had become. Her little Vulpix named Snowy had evolved into a magnificent Ninetales. She then decided to go out and train more Pokémon alongside Gideon, Lillie's brother. They were both currently taking a few month's break in their Home on Melemele Island.

The first boy of the group was named Sophocles. He was, by far, the most intelligent of the group. He managed to get a job that nobody else could've ever gotten, and there was no doubt that he was worthy of the job; he got to design the Alola Battle Stadium, or ABS for short. Alongside that, he was also in charge of the now-completed Alolan League headquarters. She smiled a little at that. The next boy was named Kiawe. His calm personality made him the perfect fit for his job as well: a Gym Leader. Lusamine was beyond confident that there was no better person to man the Earith (Are-Rith) Town Gym.

But… there was nobody more remarkable of the group that consisted of the Guardians than the final boy. When she had met him, he appeared more broken than anyone she had ever seen, with nobody to turn to. Six Years Later… and the transformation was unrealistic. His power, his strength, his trust in others, everything about him seemed improbable. Hell, anything he even _did _seemed like it was defying the laws bestowed upon the world.

"_Ahem… Lusamine?" _A voice said. She was jolted out of her dazed state by someone speaking over the intercom. She recovered and said as calmly as she could. "Yes? Go ahead."

"_You have someone here to chat with you… shall I send them in?" _Lusamine smiled. _Speak of the Devil…_ she thought with a grin. She responded. "Ah yes, of course."

The door opened a moment later and a young man walked in. He wore a red and white Pokémon hat that created a shadow, which loomed over his eyes. He was also sporting a zip up red vest with a white zipper, and under it, was a dark gray T-shirt. On his right arm, he wore a brace that covered his entire forearm and stopped when it was just about a third of the way past his bicep. On his right wrist, was a Z-Ring. On both hands, he was wearing Gray and Red gloves. Last but not least, he was wearing gray pants and gray shoes that contained a hint of red. And of course, around his neck was a necklace that had a few mega evolution crystals on it.

The man spoke. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Lusamine replied. "No, you're not."

The man was still for a moment before nodding and speaking. "In that case…" He looked up a little more and revealed his slightly blue eyes. His hair was a lighter shade of brown than she remembered when she had first met him, though it still had it's same, spiky design. How far this man had come in six years was staggering.

"… It's great to see you again Lusamine!" he spoke with a small grin. She quickly enveloped him in a tight hug and he hugged back. She released him and spoke with a knowing smile. "I don't even recognize you with those damn contacts in! I always mess up your eyes!" The man smiled a bit, though there was some bitterness behind it. "It's just a precaution I'm afraid… you're kinda stuck with it."

Lusamine playfully shoved him away then spoke. "Alright then… the champion of Alola himself wouldn't come here himself unless something is about to happen… what gives?"

The boy grinned. "What, I can't just visit you without having a good reason?" Lusamine gave the man a look and then he proceeded to chuckle. "Guess not huh?"

Lusamine sighed and smiled a bit. "Ash, I'm busy, you're busy, we're _all _very busy. You could've just called or sent someone over. But, you chose to come here yourself. Clearly, something is up. What is it?"

Ash Ketchum's small grin left his face and he spoke calmly. "Sophocles just put the finishing touches on ALT City. We should have everything up and running soon, it's been under construction for so long that residents have actually thought it wouldn't ever be done." Lusamine shook her head for a moment. "Pardon, but why is it you insisted on calling it ALT City? What does ALT stand for?"

He grinned. "Alolan League To…" His grin faded. Lusamine laughed. "You were going to say Alolan League _Town, _weren't you? Sooooo in all, you mean it was supposed to be "Alolan League Town City?" Ash groaned. "How did I mess that up so badly…" Lusamine shrugged and gave a hearty laugh. "Don't ask me, you dug your own grave on that one, I'm afraid." Ash chuckled. "Guess you're right. But that's not what I came to talk with you about."

Lusamine lost her cheerfulness at seeing Ash's expression turn serious. "I have to leave for a day or so in a week's time, Mr. Goodshow called for the attendance of all champions for some reason, and I have reason to believe that it's for the likely occurrence of the tournament that is said to occur in the next few months." Her eyes widened. "Y-you mean… _the _tournament?" Ash sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so.

Lusamine closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Well, as long as Alola isn't…" Her eyes bulged open and then flew to Ash, who was staring outside the window in thought. She spoke with a worried tone. "Y-you don't think…"

Ash interrupted. "It's _exactly _what I think; Alola is the only region to not host one of these tournaments because it's Pokémon league has only been in existence since I became its champion three years ago. Johto, Sinnoh, Kanto, Unova, Kalos, and Hoenn have all hosted at least one of these tournaments that occur every five years, and because Sophocles just finished with the town itself in the terms of construction and making sure everything else has been settled, I believe Mr. Goodshow will see it as a prime opportunity to publicize Alola."

He sighed and sat down on a nearby couch. "And personally, I agree with him. We've come such a long ways in Alola, industrializing it and making it one of the most advanced regions ever, and all while keeping Alola beautiful and green, but the more the merrier."

Lusamine smiled weakly. "You have led us to great success, and yet the outsiders barely even know Alola exists. If only they knew…"

Ash placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I couldn't have done it without the assistance of many others… you know this. And you also know the reason why I'm telling you in advance in the first place: ALT City is directly connected with Aether Paradise, so Aether Paradise is going to need an increase of security for the duration of the tournament, should Mr. Goodshow opt to send the tournament here as I predict he will."

It was true. Though Aether Paradise had originally just been a small floating island with nothing else within many miles of it, after some talking to with Pokémon League officials, they too believed it was a smart decision to try and _make _an island that was directly connected with Aether Paradise so that the Elite Four and Champion would be directly connected with those who knew how to combat Ultra Beasts. After nearly a year of hauling rocks and boulders over, they finally made a titanic island that had sturdy support and was finally approved to make the Pokémon league and ALT City.

Lusamine was silent for a moment before speaking. "And there's no way to just tell him we don't want to host a tournament?"

Ash shook his head. "If we did so, it may violate some of our terms with the Pokémon league officiating. We can't deny them the chance to host a tournament in a fairly new developed league. In Mr. Goodshow's eyes, this is the perfect time to show off the Alola Region and all of its power." Ash paused for a moment before speaking again. "And personally, I agree with him. This is most certainly the time to demonstrate our power."

Lusamine smiled a little and nodded. "Well, I suppose there is hope we won't have it here, as little as that hope is."

_ALT City/Pokémon League…_

The beautiful sun was shining brightly on everyone that resided in ALT City and the Pokémon League. ALT City itself was fairly massive, after all, it took a year to get enough boulders and rocks to make a base for the island. When they finally did get enough, they proceeded to plant grass after making the ground level, well, you get the idea. The bottom line: only recently had ALT City truly become finished with construction.

It was composed of different quadrants: Residency Quadrants, Shopping Quadrants, Tourist Quadrants, etc. Ash and Sophocles had designed the entire island once Ash had become the champion. That included the Pokémon League as well as ALT Battlefield, or ABS as some people called it (Alolan Battle Stadium). The battlefield itself was composed of two battlefields side by side, and could combine into one massive field if need be. Sophocles had also made a point to Ash by saying that if there were two battles going on at once, that the walls should be ray-shielded to prevent damage.

The Island itself was built rather oddly, but, it was by design. The Pokémon League sat on the top of a rather large hill that had a very large backyard as well that the Elites and Champion could use for training. Of course, the inside was also massive, and each of the Elites and the Champion had his or her section to it. **(AN: More on this later)**

Ash found himself walking through the shopping district of ALT City and enjoying the peaceful weather. Of course, if he was in his usual outfit, people would be flocking to him for autographs **(AN: His appearance when he was with Lusamine was his standard clothing)**. Ash now wore blue jeans and blue shoes as well. He swapped his usual red vest for a sweatshirt that was a mix of red, white, and blue. The shoulders were covered in red, the arms of the sweatshirt were white, as was the majority of the center of the shirt. However, across the middle of the sweatshirt was a big, blue "X". Finally, he wore a red, white, and blue pokéball cap on backwards that had blue, red, and white stars around it.

He walked into a shop for Pokémon food that he usually went to. Ironically enough, still nobody had recognized him for who he actually was, or if they did, they just opted not to say anything. He paid for the food, groaning a little when he read the label of the food once more. He paid for it with a smile, his blue eyes still shining.

He walked outside and smiled brightly when he looked up the hill and saw the Pokémon League there waiting for him. Then, he heard a scream and saw two men and a women calling out Pokémon, preparing for battle with a young man and older woman who had no Pokémon out whatsoever.

The tallest male, presumably the group's leader, spoke loudly. "Now, you're gonna give me those Z-Crystals right there or there's gonna be trouble, you hear me!?" The three assailants called out Salandit, Zubat, and Garbodor. The two didn't move, so the bandits cried out.

"Salandit use bite!"

"Zubat, Leech Life!"

"Garbodor, use Sludge Bomb!"

There was a bright flash, and watching bystanders gasped as an explosion wreaked havoc on the street. When the smoke cleared, everyone gasped as they saw all three Pokémon completely knocked out. The leader gasped and cried out. "W-w-what kind of sick joke is this?" That was when they all caught sight of a figure standing across from them. It was a man, but his identity was still concealed by the smoke of the explosion and the dust it gathered.. The man had two Pokémon out, a Purple Cat and a Fire Monkey of some sort. The man spoke through the dust. "That's no way to treat the residents here, now is it?"

The girl of the group yelled. "Who do you think you are!"

The shorter male added. "Yeah! This place belongs to Team Skull!"

The dust slowly faded and the man said. "My Name is Ghost…" The dust completely faded to reveal an Espeon and Infernape by his side. "… And I'm the Champion of Alola!" A round of gasps circled around from Team Skull to the watching bystanders. People began cheering, clapping, and whispering loudly to one another.

"I-I don't believe it!"

"It's actually him!"

"Ghost, as in, the most powerful trainer in Alola "The Ghost"?"

"He's gonna wipe the floor with them!"

Meanwhile, the Team Skull grunts were sweating up a storm now. The leader sputtered. "H-he's t-t-the G-ghost?!" The girl looked like all the color had drained from her face. "M-may be a good time to b-bail if you ask m-me…" The last guy was already running away with a cloud of dust in his wake. "Y-you said it!"

The three were all gone in a matter of five more seconds. A rousing cheer came up from the watchers as they supported their leader. The young man and old woman approached Ash. The man shook hands with Ash and said. "You saved us! How can we ever repay you?" The old woman said. "Please have something as a token of our gratitude, please!" Ash laughed and said. "Hey don't worry! I'm just doing what any good person would do to help out someone else in need!"

He then returned both Pokémon and called out his Charizard. He cast one more wave to the watchers and took off on his majestic fire type towards to the Pokémon League.

_Hoenn…_

Petalburg City was bustling, as per usual. Everyone that was walking around was flashing giant smiles at one another and preparing for the day ahead. However, not everywhere was such a positive and happy affair. Inside the Petalburg Gym, three people were in very depressed funks. These three people were Caroline, Norman, and May Maple. They were approaching a very sad day for them: the anniversary of the day that two of them lost a close friend, and the day that one of them lost her dear love.

May sighed and stared sadly outside the window. She had lost all motivation to do next to anything once Ash had disappeared. She had heard about his rather grueling death, but, what appalled her more than anything was when she had heard that her Brother, Max, had the opportunity to save him, and had chosen not to do anything about. She had not had the chance to tell him about what he had seen was completely incorrect and false, but, to be fair, had she walked in on him the same way, she would've lost her mind as well.

_Flashback… Six Years Ago…_

May was currently behind one house in Pallet Town; The Ketchum Household. May found herself waiting for Ash along with all of his other friends, who were all chatting amicably with one another. There were a few faces she was a little confused with, and didn't know them, while a few of them she did know and she began to chat with them happily. Then, there was another group of people altogether: The group of people she recognized, but shouldn't have been there for various reasons.

For example, some of Ash's old rivals were there, and of course… there was…

"Hello May, been a long time." A voice said. She whirled around and came face to face with Drew, her Contest Rival. She was a little more than surprised at seeing him but made no attempt to brush him off and walk away, after all, the crush she had on him from years prior was merely just that: a crush from years prior.

"Hi Drew, I didn't expect to see you here?" She said with confusion. Drew grinned a little and spoke. "Mrs. Ketchum invited me. After all, since Ash is coming back from his Kalos Journey today, I said I could make it, after all, she said you'd be here too!" May blinked. Why on earth would Mrs. Ketchum do that? It made no sense… especially because of the conversation that Ash and her had the night prior. May sighed a little in happiness, she could hardly wait to see him again!

They had done things the night prior that she had only dreamed about happening… she blushed at the thought of them talking like the way they did. However, she picked the wrong time to blush, because when Drew saw it, he took it as a chance to advance on her. Drew spoke softly. "May, I… I'm sure you probably already know this, but I really like you…" May blushed even harder, but she tried to force it out.

'_May… get ahold of yourself… remember the conversation you just had with Ash last night… you know… the one where you admitted your feelings for him… and the one where… you know… the one where he admitted that he had the same feelings!? Get yourself toge-' _Her thought process was sliced off when all of the sudden she felt someone kiss her on the mouth.

Her mind, which was completely intoxicated by the thoughts of Ash, the man she truly loved, flipped out of control, and without thinking about it, she deepened the kiss. This continued for a few moments until she unconsciously placed her hand on the back of the male's head, and the moment she made contact with it, her mind snapped back to reality, though her eyes remained closed, and her hand still remained behind the man's head. She realized the terrible act she had just committed and knew now that she was indeed kissing _DREW _and not Ash.

'_WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WHAT HAPPENED TO LAST NIGHT'S CONVERSATION?! IF ASH FINDS OUT YOU'RE-' _Her mind was cut off from it's thought process when she felt the presence of someone else enter. She opened her eyes and broke off the kiss and saw someone staring at them from the side of the house, seemingly frozen in shock. She looked over the figure for a moment before her eyes bulged in panic.

It was Ash.

He had Pikachu on his shoulder with a stunned look in his eyes. He looked as though someone had just told him his life would end in a week. All the life that had once been in those Auburn eyes was totally gone. May felt her voice crack. "A-ash! I c-can explain!"

Ash shook his head slowly in disbelief. "I can't believe you." He then turned on his heel and walked back around the side of the house. Drew stared at May. "Am I missing something?" May urgently broke free of Drew's grasp and when Drew made to follow her, she pointed at him pleadingly. "No! Stay here, I'll take care of it! Please!" She then ran around the house to catch him. She grabbed his wrist and Ash jerked it away forcefully.

"Why?" He spoke, his voice breaking.

Tears were falling from May's cheeks in waves. "I-I'm sorry, it was an honest-" She was cut off as Ash said angrily. "MISTAKE? AN HONEST MISTAKE?!" May didn't know what to say, so she just kept crying. "I come back from a journey and we haven't seen each other in ages… I call you to confess my love to you…"

He shook his head and Pikachu stared back and forth between the two, completely lost to whatever was happening. Ash spoke again, extremely quiet. "You, and only you… forever. Those were your exact words." May cried. "Y-yes! Th-they were! And they're true!" Ash growled. "You expect me to believe that!? You were just over there trying to suck his tongue out and you expect me to believe those words?"

"Yes she was, and she was quite good at it too." A voice said behind her. May whirled back around and saw Drew walking towards the two of them. Ash stayed eerily silent as Drew smirked at him. "She really wanted a true man, so, she came to me, those were your exact words, weren't they?" May's jaw dropped; this couldn't be happening!

She sputtered. "Wha-Wha,,, wh-when did I ever…" She immediately turned back to Ash and held his hands in her own. "P-please! I s-swear I didn't mean anything wrong!" Ash ripped his hands from her grip and stepped back. She sobbed and took a step towards him. "P-PLEASE!" Ash shook his head and took two steps backwards.

His voice was just above a whisper. "…No. I can't May. You…" He sniffed once, tears gently falling down his cheeks. "… You swore that it was me. Whether y-you're telling the truth or not… I…" He hesitated and spoke quietly. "I-I know what I s-saw. You placed your hand behind his head to get further…" and with that statement, Ash could go no further, he sobbed once and then said angrily. "Leave here. Don't come back."

May's breath hitched as the tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "N-no… p-please!"

Ash spoke. "Max will be back to your place soon… but…" He paused and turned around. "B-but… you can't be here. J-just… just go." He then ran inside and slammed the door shut. May fell onto her knees and cried. Drew smiled at her and placed an arm around her for comfort. Naturally, this was not the thing to do, and she shoved him off in anger.

She then cried. "WHY? Why did you lie to him! Why did you kiss me!? WHY?"

Drew blinked. "How was I supposed to know you liked him? I kissed you and then you deepened the kiss yourself, under your own free accord… so why wasn't I supposed to do something? I figured if I made something up it would get you out of a jam…" He let out a groan of pain when she kicked him in the "You-know-where." She sobbed and cried. "You're such an IDIOT! I LOVE ASH! And you just… y-y-you j-just…" And with those final words, she ran off down the street, going anywhere that wasn't the Ketchum House.

_Flashback End…_

May stifled a little sob when she emerged from her flashback. How stupid she had been! Only she was unfortunate enough to be caught kissing another boy a night after she confessed her love to the one she truly loved. Once she returned home, she made her plans to earn his forgiveness, and then… tragedy struck.

Her heart yanked just at the thought of the event. She walked back into her room, locked the door, and began to sob into her pillow so nobody would hear her. She cried for the man she lost that day, the one she never got to truly explain to what he had seen, the one she had betrayed, and the one whom her heart belonged to.

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

**AN: And that's a wrap folks! Chapter One is done! There are still plenty of characters that I have to introduce, so bear with me. Now, tell me the truth here: What did ya'll think? Too mushy? Too many tears? Not enough battle action? Not in depth enough? Hit me up with some thoughts here people, I always read every single comment, PM, and review, even if I don't respond to all of them. YOUR OPINION MATTERS.**

**Next Chapter will be out soon hopefully, but unlike my other stories, I have not been able to pretype any chapters. So when I post this, there is no chapter 2 that I have pretyped or likely even started at this point. What I expect next chapter to have:**

**The Champion's Meeting**

**The Scene of the Ultimate Betrayal**

**Meeting the Alolan Elites**

**Additional Stuff**

**I try my hardest to get out one post a week, but in all honesty I don't know if that'll be the case in this story. If every chapter is nearly 7k words long, it may be closer to every 2 weeks. If I didn't include something you wanted to see, please let me know. Some things will be explained in time. That's all I've got to explain for right now everyone, again, if you have any questions, please message me! I'll get back to you if it's a direct question! Thanks guys!**

**Make sure you follow and favorite the story and myself! See ya'll later! Till we meet again!**

**LegionZ **


	2. The Betrayed Soul

**Wassup People? It's LegionZ back again with another chapter! Hope ya'll enjoy this, as always my guys! Last chapter was a smashing success from the vast majority, so I'm glad to hear you all enjoyed it! As I mentioned, this chapter will have the betrayal scene, as well as many others that you all have been asking to see. **

**I'm not sure if I clarified all of this before but I'll mention it now: For starters, Lance and Ash are both going to be very good friends with one another. They won't be enemies lol. The main pairing of this story, Ash x May, will not be immediate. Sorry for those who wanted to see it immediately, it's not happening. I gotta keep it in my back pocket for the betrayal. The whole "Ash's Appearance" thingy with his eyes turning blue and his light brown hair was not really explained last chapter. It will be explained this one though.**

**That's about everything in terms of things I should've mentioned last chapter but didn't. Some stuff I thought was rather obvious but some of it wasn't. My apologies for not saying some of the things I should've. As I did in my last story, I will give a recap of some of the things that happened in the previous chapter. This way, everyone doesn't forget what happened. I think that's a good enough explanation to start with in my opinion! **

**I forgot to mention this! In the present story, Ash is 19. Please make sure you all follow and favorite the story! It would be much appreciated, and would help this story grow! Thanks everyone, hope you enjoy!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 2**

_Last Chapter…_

_Lusamine lost her cheerfulness at seeing Ash's expression turn serious. "I have to leave for a day or so in a week's time, Mr. Goodshow called for the attendance of all champions for some reason, and I have reason to believe that it's for the likely occurrence of the tournament that is said to occur in the next few months." Her eyes widened. "Y-you mean… the tournament?" Ash sighed and nodded. "I'm afraid so. _

_Lusamine closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. "Well, as long as Alola isn't…" Her eyes bulged open and then flew to Ash, who was staring outside the window in thought. She spoke with a worried tone. "Y-you don't think…"_

_Ash interrupted. "It's exactly what I think; Alola is the only region to not host one of these tournaments because it's Pokémon league has only been in existence since I became its champion three years ago. Johto, Sinnoh, Kanto, Unova, Kalos, and Hoenn have all hosted at least one of these tournaments that occur every five years, and because Sophocles just finished with the town itself in the terms of construction and making sure everything else has been settled, I believe Mr. Goodshow will see it as a prime opportunity to publicize Alola."_

_He sighed and sat down on a nearby couch. "And personally, I agree with him. We've come such a long ways in Alola, industrializing it and making it one of the most advanced regions ever, and all while keeping Alola beautiful and green, but the more the merrier."_

_Lusamine smiled weakly. "You have led us to great success, and yet the outsiders barely even know Alola exists. If only they knew…"_

_Ash placed a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "I couldn't have done it without the assistance of many others… you know this. And you also know the reason why I'm telling you in advance in the first place: ALT City is directly connected with Aether Paradise, so Aether Paradise is going to need an increase of security for the duration of the tournament, should Mr. Goodshow opt to send the tournament here as I predict he will."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_He walked outside and smiled brightly when he looked up the hill and saw the Pokémon League there waiting for him. Then, he heard a scream and saw two men and a women calling out Pokémon, preparing for battle with a young man and older woman who had no Pokémon out whatsoever._

_The tallest male, presumably the group's leader, spoke loudly. "Now, you're gonna give me those Z-Crystals right there or there's gonna be trouble, you hear me!?" The three assailants called out Salandit, Zubat, and Garbodor. The two didn't move, so the bandits cried out._

"_Salandit use bite!"_

"_Zubat, Leech Life!"_

"_Garbodor, use Sludge Bomb!" _

_There was a bright flash, and watching bystanders gasped as an explosion wreaked havoc on the street. When the smoke cleared, everyone gasped as they saw all three Pokémon completely knocked out. The leader gasped and cried out. "W-w-what kind of sick joke is this?" That was when they all caught sight of a figure standing across from them. It was a man, but his identity was still concealed by the smoke of the explosion and the dust it gathered.. The man had two Pokémon out, a Purple Cat and a Fire Monkey of some sort. The man spoke through the dust. "That's no way to treat the residents here, now is it?" _

_The girl of the group yelled. "Who do you think you are!"_

_The shorter male added. "Yeah! This place belongs to Team Skull!"_

_The dust slowly faded and the man said. "My Name is Ghost…" The dust completely faded to reveal an Espeon and Infernape by his side. "… And I'm the Champion of Alola!"_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Drew spoke softly. "May, I… I'm sure you probably already know this, but I really like you…" May blushed even harder, but she tried to force it out._

'_May… get ahold of yourself… remember the conversation you just had with Ash last night… you know… the one where you admitted your feelings for him… and the one where… you know… the one where he admitted that he had the same feelings!? Get yourself toge-' Her thought process was sliced off when all of the sudden she felt someone kiss her on the mouth. _

_Her mind, which was completely intoxicated by the thoughts of Ash, the man she truly loved, flipped out of control, and without thinking about it, she deepened the kiss. This continued for a few moments until she unconsciously placed her hand on the back of the male's head, and the moment she made contact with it, her mind snapped back to reality, though her eyes remained closed, and her hand still remained behind the man's head. She realized the terrible act she had just committed and knew now that she was indeed kissing DREW and not Ash._

'_WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? WHAT HAPPENED TO LAST NIGHT'S CONVERSATION?! IF ASH FINDS OUT YOU'RE-' Her mind was cut off from it's thought process when she felt the presence of someone else enter. She opened her eyes and broke off the kiss and saw someone staring at them from the side of the house, seemingly frozen in shock. She looked over the figure for a moment before her eyes bulged in panic. _

_It was Ash._

_He had Pikachu on his shoulder with a stunned look in his eyes. He looked as though someone had just told him his life would end in a week. All the life that had once been in those Auburn eyes was totally gone. May felt her voice crack. "A-ash! I c-can explain!" _

_Ash shook his head slowly in disbelief. "I can't believe you."_

_Present… Alolan League…_

About Six days had passed since the incident of when the Ghost had stopped Team Skull from attacking the citizens of ALT City. Naturally, they had all praised him on social media and local news networks for his heroic actions. From the citizens point of view, the Ghost had not been someone they could trust very easily when he first took the job as champion. In their eyes, they were certain that because they were the last group to get a Pokémon league, he was just the wash-up who couldn't become the best. That was their belief.

Well… at first.

It became very clear that after just six months of being champion, Ghost was no ordinary person, and he had no ordinary dreams for Alola. His ambitions to make Alola the most beautiful, and yet most advanced region compared to any other was far beyond what anyone in Alola had expected. Some people believed he would do nothing other than sit on his ass and rot. And then, a nobody would come in and take control of the region and bring nothing but destruction. A week after he was crowned the champion, he released his ambitions to the people of Alola.

He wished for there to be Pokémon gyms in Alola to attract more attention. He wished to develop more cities and towns _for _those gyms. He wished for the technology in Alola to rise up to a new level, but at the same time, keep Alola beautiful for not just tourists, but more importantly, the Alolan people themselves. Finally, he released his true dream for the Alolan League; and it was brilliant.

The Ghost had called the place and proposition "ALT City", a large man-made island that consisted of a place that held a magnificent amount of buildings, shopping centers, battle centers, arena's, etc. Of course, that wasn't all. The Ghost also said that it was his goal to stop all Ultra Beasts, and ALT City would be directly connected with Aether Paradise, another floating island and the organization that was devoted to stopping Ultra Beasts.

Ghost had spoken about his desire to make Alola the most powerful region that the world has ever known. He spoke to the people about how outsiders believed Alola wasn't powerful in the slightest compared to the other regions. He then said that it was his duty as champion to prove to the world just how powerful Alola was.

Three years passed since that day, and the Ghost had kept his promise. There were now 8 bustling, powerful, and region-renowned gyms that tested even the most dominant of trainers. He was able to purchase land in order to create massive cities that inevitably led to more and more income and tourism. However, even with the rise of cities around Alola, the Ghost had kept his promise: the land itself stayed beautiful, unpolluted, and uncorrupted. And of course… his most time-consuming idea was complete.

ALT City was a dream come true for some Alolan people, most specifically, the merchants and trainers. Ghost had made a point that ALT City should have the most powerful and dominant trainers come to train to prepare for the inevitable battles that should come every half year (Alolan League.) Although the league was still held every half year, they only had the Pokémon League completed for those battles once. Ghost had put the people and his region before himself, and it was paying off in a big way.

The Alolan people trusted Ghost with everything, because it seemed as though everything that happened ended with a positive result whenever he made a decision. That included appointing Gym Leaders, Elite Four Members, and everything that included mere everyday lifestyle type of things.

On top of the Pokémon league was a magnificent view that was accessible to the elites and champion only. The rooftop patio was surrounded by a railing to for caution. Ash was currently pondering while staring down on the city below how the meeting that he would have to endure tomorrow. It was all the way at the Battle Frontier in Johto. The flight itself wasn't what he disliked; it was the fact that now everyone expected his to reveal himself now that he had shown his face. Truth be told, it had only been a mere half-year ago when Ash had finally ditched the black cloak and hat, and shifted to his red vest. **(AN: I gave a description of Ash's outfit last chapter)**

"You know, I ran into about eight people today who practically begged me to give you their thanks. Why do you always have to be so damn modest?" A voice from behind him said. Ash turned on his heel to see a young man with silky brown hair. It draped gently in front of his left eye, preventing people from seeing both of his green orbs. He stood about six feet tall and had a cheeky grin on his face. He was on the skinnier side, but by no means was considered a "twig." His light brown skin appeared to be radiating off the sun.

He was wearing his signature outfit: a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath it. Though he wore no tie, he did sport a pair of signature black dress shoes to match his black belt and dark grey pants. Ash knew that most people of the opposite gender particularly liked this man due to his "Playboy" type of vibe about him. Seriousness was not in his veins… with one exception: Battling. Ash knew how cunning this man could be as a battler; if you let your guard down around him during a Pokémon battle, he was sure to make you regret it. His trusted Pokémon partner walked alongside him, a tan and brown lion with a large flame about it's head.

This man is named Xavier Blackmon… the first member of Elite Four in Alola; the Ground and Fire Type specialist. Ash chuckled. "How I choose to greet our people and react to saving them shouldn't be something of your concern; being hellbent on giving out autographs gives out a bad vibe about the type of people we are, Blackmon. How was your game?"

He grinned. "Fractera lost, naturally. His partner wasn't too pleased with it, to say the least. Isn't that right bud?" He stared down at his trusted partner who roared it's agreement. Ash grinned and just as he was about to reply, a voice said. "Already telling him about your victory? You couldn't wait just one minute?"

Ash turned and saw another young man with dark blonde hair walking towards them. The sides of his head were close to shaved, and the top was parted to the right. He stood about three inches shorter than Xavier, but was far more muscular that him. His dark brown eyes appeared to be endless if your looked at them. Regardless of how annoyed the words may have sounded; he still wore a small grin on his face.

He was wearing an odd outfit to say the least. It was simply white pants, along with red shoes and a drawstring bag that was held up by two, long pieces of red fabric, that crossed diagonally across the man's muscular chest, creating a large "X" right on the center of the man's body. His Pokémon partner was glowering at Xavier's partner, seemingly annoyed for some reason. The yellow and blue Pokémon that oddly resembled a Lucario stood firmly at its trainers side, prepared for anything upon a moment's request.

This man is named Axel Fractera… the second of four members of the Alolan Elites: the Electric Type specialist. Axel spoke again. "I _know _you're cheating, there's no other explanation! Come on, just admit it!" Xavier smirked and teased the man, who like himself, was in his mid-twenties. "Some people resort insults as purely just that: insults. However, a young, seasoned man like myself…" Ash muttered under his breath, "Seasoned?"

"… may take that as a compliment, as thus, I do. Besides, you know my nickname around here; it's not like I got the name for nothing you know." He cheekily responded. Axel groaned and said. "Fat Chance! The day I buy that is the day I—" He was cut off from saying anything else by a melodic voice coming out from the building.

"_It is time for supper… come and get it." _The voice then cut off, and pure silence reigned. The males all made their way throughout the Pokémon league all the way to a secluded corner of the league, where two figures were awaiting them. It was the kitchen of the league, where the servants, mostly, made all of the elites food. Once the two figures came into view, however, Axel erupted in cheers. "Now _this _is how you recover from a rough loss: July's A-Plus, top tier, unstoppable—" Axel was once again cut off by a voice.

"I believe we've heard this line many times Axel. I think we've had enough of it as well; wouldn't you all agree?" A chorus of "Yeah", "Sure", and "Uh-Huh" rounded the area. The remark had come from a beautiful young girl who was standing with a frying pan over the closest stovetop. The girl stood at approximately 5'5" with a rather sultry smile on her face. Her perfectly defined cheekbones along with her heavenly curves made her attractive eye-candy for any male who happened to walk by her.

She had gorgeous green hair that she currently had wrapped back in a medium sized ponytail, and matched it with alluring green eyes. Her outfit was simple: a dark pink blouse that barely covered her lower garments and squeezed her chest to amplify the size of her assets. She wore pure white boots and a white flower in her hair. By her side, the Eeveeolution of affection stood proudly at her trainers side.

This girl's name is July Ruftulis… the third member of the Alolan Elite Four: The Fairy type specialist. Axel grinned cheekily at July and spoke. "So how's that boyfriend of yours doing July? Still the same greedy asshole?" _SMACK. _July pointed a finger at him warningly. "He may be a jerk, but we'll work through our problems. I didn't call you here to try and insult my love life, I called you here because, although I now regret it, I decided to make everyone one of my special meals!"

The last unknown figure of the group spoke. "I recommended it; figured it would be kinda cool for you to have one last meal before the big day Ash."

The girl who spoke seemed to be an ominous figure on the outside, but, on the inside, she was a good friend, and an even better fighter. She stood just above 5'8" tall, and had barely no fat on any part of her body, other than the spots that asked for it. She had curly pink hair that draped over her right eye, and let her other bright blue orb remain shining. Though her chest was smaller than July's, her backside was something to behold.

She was sporting a pair of tight, sports jeans that caught the eyes of many helpless males. On top, she wore a light, black sweater with the sleeves cut off. She had a face that would make many men swoon over her, before realized that she, in fact, was quite a badass. Her partner Pokémon, however, was nowhere in sight.

This girl's name is Zandra Polisik… the final member of the Elite Four in Alola: The Water and Ice Specialist. Ash grinned at the girl weakly. "You know me too well Zandra, I feel kind of bad you can't come along though."

She blinked. "Why's that?"

Ash smirked. "All you want to do is suck face wi—" he was interrupted by a random blizzard freezing him on the spot, his grin still etched upon his face. Xavier burst out laughing while Axel suppressed a chuckle of his own. Zandra was fighting off a rather obvious blush that covered a vast majority of her face, and July looked as though nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. Zandra muttered. "He's lucky I care about him too much to freeze him _permanently._"

Xavier spoke. "Pyroar, thaw out our champion, would you?" Pyroar nodded and unleashed a torment of flames that melted the ice surrounding Ash, who sighed in relief at the feeling that returned to his body. Axel was still laughing at his leader's misfortune, and Zandra was now turned away from him. Ash laughed and said. "I think it's time we ate."

_Later that night…_

Ash was in his room, the royal chamber. Inside it was everything you could imagine: Battle facility for his purpose only, television, PC system to easily transfer his Pokémon, king sized bed, plenty of other things to go along with it, but most of all, a balcony that overlooked every region. Ash found himself standing on the balcony many more times than he could count, as it gave him solace in knowing what he was doing this for.

In his mind, he wanted to believe that everything he had trained for was simply for the goodness of Alola; he wanted to become the most powerful trainer ever to show the world that the Alolan people were no pushovers. He wanted to believe that he built everything in Alola simply because he loved the region and the people in it. Lastly, he wanted to believe that the reason he was in this throne was because he pushed himself more than anyone else simply to lead Alola and be the one that everyone looked up to. The only problem?

He knew he was lying to himself.

He didn't do what he did simply because it was to lead to Alola's greatness, or to give the people a leader. On the outside, most people thought he was a hero who deserved greatness. That was the impression they got, and that was the impression Ash tried to give them. But, on the inside, what the people did not know, was just how Selfish their leader was. Or, what he himself made himself out to be. He felt tears beginning to trickle out of his eyes as he saw the right arm brace that shielded his entire right arm from showing any skin.

Meanwhile, just outside his room, all four of his faithful elites were watching their Champion with various expressions on their faces. Though all of them had the same train of thought, not all of them were thinking the same way. All four of them, Axel, Xavier, July, and Zandra were all aware of the events that had brought their champion to Alola in the first place, and it made them sick to their stomachs.

'_This is going to be very difficult for Ash. Six years away from his old frien… connections… and now it's more than likely he's going to be forced into seeing them all again. What he went through, both physically and mentally, was enough to make one man go insane… and he went on to become CHAMPION. The respect I feel for him is one of a kind, he's no doubt the most powerful trainer I've ever met.' _Axel thought.

'_How people could be such sadistic bastards is beyond me. I thought I was betrayed by everyone I loved, but when I met Ash, he showed me I wasn't alone, and what he showed me but didn't tell me was that I hadn't had it the worst. What those… humans… did to him was indescribable. I wouldn't wish that pain on anyone.' _Xavier's mind churned.

'_When I met Ash, I was in a very bad place, and he showed me the way back to the light. Without him, I honestly have no idea where I'd be right now. He's the most kind-hearted boy I know, but that's only what we see. To strangers, he's cold, collected, cunning, and calculating. They made him like this. I saw what he was once at one point, although WE see that Ash, the public does not. They know him for his accomplishment's, and of course, his ruthless battle tactics.' _July thought.

'_I'm going to kill each and every one of those who betrayed Ash, mark my damn words. He's changed not just my life, but everyone's by becoming champion. We're higher up than we've ever been, and because of those bastards, he was nearly killed. I'll kick their asses so hard they'll end up in another region! The moment that the first attack can be called out, it's GAME-SET-MATCH!' _Zandra fumed.

At that exact moment, Ash slowly rolled up the sleeve that covered his entire right arm, and frowned sadly at the sight. Up his entire arm were scars, melted and rotted skin, and rashes. All in all, it was a horrific sight. He sighed and gently rubbed his fingers across the skin as a small tear escaped from his eyes. How he got this injury and looking at it every day reminded him why he did what he did:

Revenge. It was his goal to see those who sent him to the fiery pits of hell fall into the same darkness that they cast him into. It was then, six years ago when the incident had occurred, and it still haunted him to this day. He knew, in order to fully get over the fear of betrayal once more, he needed to do one thing. He had to face his past and concur it.

Ash took a deep breath and he closed his eyes. His mind flashed back to the day where his life forever changed.

_Six Years Ago…_

Everything was dark for him. He had no idea what had happened to him. He heard voices but couldn't place any names for them. In fact, he couldn't place anything. Where was he? Why was he blacked out? It made no sense! Finally though, he began to understand some words that were being said.

"…Ash…Wa…up…" He groaned and tried to sit up but failed to do so.

"I thin…coming back…" another voice said. Ash then managed to pry his eyes open a little and saw a girl with orange hair staring down at him and a guy with lime green hair was looking down at him too. Ash groaned and spoke as clearly as he could. "Where… where am I?" The girl looked completely confused. "You mean you don't remember?"

Ash sat up with all the strength he could muster and shook his head. He then took in the appearance of the male and was more than just a little surprised. "T-Trip?" He nodded and spoke. "Yeah, but we don't have time to chat man! We gotta go!"

Ash recognized Misty as his companion and said in bewilderment. "Huh? Go where?" The two exchanged confused glances before Trip spoke. "Is this a joke Ash?"

He blinked. "What?"

Trip spoke with a serious and yet slightly amused tone. "You were hellbent on coming here! You were absolutely certain that this was the place to find and save Moltres! Come on man, stop playing! We gotta keep going on! The others are ahead of us trying to find it! We can't wait any longer!"

Misty helped Ash to his feet but he was beyond confused and barely moved a muscle. "Wait… I don't even remember coming in here. The last thing I remember is…" He froze when he recalled what his last memory was: May making out with one Green-haired ass-wipe. He growled in his throat but was snapped from his thoughts when Misty spoke. "I don't know what's wrong with you right now Ash, but you have got to focus. You were sprinting up this steep and rocky incline when a rock hit you upside the head. We told the others to go on ahead and that we'd take care of you."

Ash didn't get it. "I… got hit with a rock? How?"

And just then, the area began to shake violently. Ash stumbled backwards and caught himself on a wall a few meters behind him. It was only then that he took in his surroundings and realized he was indeed in a mountain of some sort, presumably by the scorching heat inside the mountain, a volcano. But… why was it shaking so badly? Unless…

Ash regained his focus. "The Volcano is erupting!?" Trip looked over at him once he had recovered as well and spoke in a confused tone. "Uh… yeah? Ash, that's the reason we're here! You said you had a vision of Moltres getting injured and you had to save it! So you all convinced us to come to Kalos so we could help save Moltres! You honestly don't remember any of it?" Misty placed a hand on his shoulder and said in a rush. "We don't have any more time to explain! We gotta go help everyone else!"

And with that statement, they all broke out into sprints. Misty yelled and pointed towards a crack in the wall. "That's where they went, let's go!" Ash was behind both of them, and even though he had just woken up, he was able to keep pace quite easily. But, as he ran, something just felt kind of… off. For one, how come he couldn't remember anything other than May betraying him as of recently?

Two, if Misty and Trip claimed he had been hit in the head with a rock, then how come it didn't hurt in the slightest? Three, he never claimed he had any dreams about Moltres. Some things just didn't make sense, but then, he was forced to stop thinking about that when Trip called out. "Hey Guys! Ash is up!" They all sprinted towards the now visible group of friends that were waiting for them. Ash recognized the group of people waiting for him: It consisted of Max, Cilan, Iris, Dawn, Serena, and oddly, Bonnie. Why she was there without Clemont was beyond Ash, but he didn't dwell on it for too long, because another thought attacked his mind.

Ash thought. _'Wait a second… I don't even remember…' _His mind went from complete and utter confusion to horror when all of the sudden, the ground beneath him broke and created a giant sinkhole. The rocks fell all the way to the bottom of an absolutely massive Lava chamber. Ash recalled once about Clemont showing him a picture of the inside of Mt. Molteau, and what it's largest lava chamber looked like. Ash now knew he was dangling over a thousand meters in the air over a massive lava chamber.

Of course, by all odds, he should've been going to see the lava chambers much more closer and personal, but was saved by a stroke of luck. He silently thanked his lucky stars he had been fortunate enough to grab ahold of a rock that was his last line of defense against the fiery pits beneath him. Now, his friends could help him up and they could continue onwards. Ash looked up and saw all his friends looking down on him. He called up. "Give me a hand would you?"

Trip called back down. "Like our trap?"

Ash's blood stopped flowing as he stared up at his Unova rival. "…What?"

Trip smiled at him. "I said, like our trap? Really quite ingenious if you ask me, our plan worked to perfection." Ash's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wha… what are you even talking about? Stop joking around and give me some help! I don't know how much longer I can, ugh, hold on!" To his shock, nobody came to his assistance. They all just looked down upon him with various expressions.

Ash cried out. "Anyone! Give me a hand!"

Iris spat at him. "Couldn't _you _ever give _me _a hand! All you ever did was act like an immature kid on our journey, and you're still too dull to realize what's happening now!" Ash stuttered. "Wha… what do you mean!?"

Serena spoke. "All you ever do Ash, is break things. Whether it's your own dreams, people's item's, or other people's hearts, you're nothing to us." Ash was stunned that the girl who he had just finished travelling with was so harsh to him. She had just kissed him so recently for Arceus' sake! Why was she so cold towards him when nothing had happened recently? At least… that's what he thought.

Ash prepared to speak but was cut off by Cilan who told him. "I shall cut to the point: pursue something else. You're torturing not only your Pokémon, but also your friends with all of these battle defeats."

Max added on. "I can't believe that many years ago, I looked up to you. How my sister found you attractive is unbelievable. You're nothing but a pathetic trainer."

Ash could feel tears streaming down his cheeks at this point. Nothing could stop them, but one person could speed them up. Bonnie looked down at Ash and said. "My brother sees you as a hero. Want to know what I see?"

When Ash didn't speak, she did. "_Nothing. _Utterly, and completely nothing. That is what all of the years have gotten you, and that is what you are." Ash had lost track of the fact that he was still dangling in midair in an erupting Volcano. He desperately said. "So this is your entire plan? Take me here, demoralize me, then cast me into a lava field?" When nobody said a word, he cried out. "PLEASE! ANYONE! Help me!" The words rang throughout the cavern and once they had dissipated, Dawn spoke quietly.

"You… Ash Ketchum, are simply a pest who doesn't deserve to be a trainer. As a role model, you're horrible. As a friend, you're awful. And as a trainer, you're a failure. Why should we help someone who's that terrible?" Ash felt his entire world crumble around him. Trip spoke to Ash directly. "You see now how serious we are? We are serious about this as well: If you want to get out of here alive, just do as we say, and everyone will get out safely."

Ash suddenly remembered. "W-wait! Moltres! We have to—" He was cut off by Misty who spoke. "A complete coverup story. You really are gullible. We knocked you out and took you here because assuming you _don't _cooperate with us, you'll be easy torched within seconds, and nobody will question us: Ash Ketchum attempts to save Moltres, fails, and loses his life. We're hailed as heroes for attempting to save you."

Ash realized now how trapped he was. Trip took this time to speak. "Now, you've got a choice. Swear on your honor as a human under Arceus' name you'll give up your dream of becoming a Pokémon Master and we'll help you up. Otherwise…" Trip stomped on the rocks above Ash, and he was pelted with smaller gravel. "…You fall." Ash had been silent for some time, though the tears never stopped streaming down his cheeks.

The traitors watched him with evil in their eyes for about half a minute or so before Misty said with a smirk. "Time's up. And your decision?" At that exact moment, Ash cried out. "CHARIZARD, I CHOOSE—" He practically felt his heart stop when he felt no Pokeballs on his belt. It was only then that he peered down and saw that his belt was gone. In his rush to catch up with the group, he hadn't even noticed it was gone.

Trip frowned. "…Wrong Choice." He then held up a familiar black belt with five pokeballs on it. Ash's eyes widened in horror. "No, No No! Don't do this!"

Misty smirked. "You have a choice. You can either save five of your most precious Pokémon…" She motioned to the belt Trip was holding. "…Or… you can save your partner." Ash's eyes bulged when he saw Misty hold up a stray Pokeball. Ash pleaded. "No… No NO NO NO! You guys were just talking about saving my Pokémon from me now this is what you're doing?! PLEASE! STOP! PLEASE!"

Trip grinned at him and hunched down on both knees and spoke quietly. "This is the last time we will ever speak Ash Ketchum. Enjoy Hell, it's where you're off to." And with that sentence, Trip chucked the belt off, and Misty hurled the pokeball off as well. Ash screamed.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" He threw himself off after one last burning look at all of the people he once called friends and fell the thousands of feet towards his falling Pokémon. He reached out towards the belt and saw the lava approaching fast. The next thing he knew, his right arm felt as though it had been ripped off, with nothing more than duct tape holding it together. That was his final thought before his entire mind went blank, the image of his so called friends burned into his mind for eternity.

_Present Day…_

Ash looked down at his scarred arm and remembered what happened. He had ended up landing on a rock after grabbing his belt of Pokémon. The problem was that the force of impact from the rock caused a massive amount of lava to fly into the air and nearly melt off his right arm… and part of his face. He closed his eyes and clenched his right fist tightly. The worst pain of all though, was Pikachu.

He heard little footsteps emerge from his bedroom and saw the rodent appear from his bed. "Pika Pi!", and ran up Ash's arm to lay on his shoulder. He sighed in relief; if it hadn't been for one man, his life, along with all of his Pokémon, would likely have ended.

**AN: Andddddd that's a wrap folks! Another chapter with 6k+ words in the books. Sorry for not posting as often as I said I would, my buddy from Vermont is visiting for another week, and then when he leaves, I should be able to pretype many more chapters, which is good news. It's my goal to have a weekly update, but recently I just haven't been able to because of all of these vacation's I've gone on.**

**Oh yeah! Before my buddy came down from Vermont, I actually ended up going up to Vermont myself with a squad of my homies! Of course, I didn't imagine I'd nearly break my ankle, but I did! I've been wearing a brace for about a week or so now, so that's been fun.**

**Finally, the story: I hope to have the next update out in two weeks, but I honestly have no idea. If you want to know how my progress is coming along, just message me or review and I'll get back to you. Please make sure you follow, favorite, and review the story! Thanks everyone! Till next time!**

**LegionZ**


	3. Alola's Rise, Ghost Guides

**Hi Everyone! It's your main man LegionZ back with another update to The Chosen One's Wrath. If ya'll enjoy the story, please make sure you guys hit that favorite and follow button to show your support! So, let's talk about last chapter: everyone now knows what happened to Ash when he was betrayed. If you haven't read last chapter, head on back and read it, it's a big one!**

**You also met Ash's elites for Alola: Axel Fractera, Xavier Blackmon, July Ruftulis, and Zandra Polisik. Each of them, although you wouldn't really know from last chapter, have very different personalities that will be developed later into the story. It took me awhile to come up with all of those OC's, so I do hope you guys like them. Got any suggestions for them? Let me know by reviewing or PMing me!**

**Overall, I've gotten a ton of solid positive feedback from the story so far. That means I must be on the right track of things. The only thing that I'm trying to switch up is how often I post. Like I mentioned at the end of last chapter, my longtime buddy from Vermont is visiting, so I spend practically every minute with him as of recently. Fortunately, I've found enough time here and there to sneak out and type up a chapter. My hope is to start making my posts weekly (like I did with my last story.) But I legitimately don't know how often or when I'll end up posting.**

**Soooo… keep your emails open for when the chapter drops. I always try to make the chapters over 6k words long, and if not, I want to get as close as possible to it. Again, if you have any questions, please let me know! I'll be happy to answer them. And with that, I think you guys have seen enough of my intro, I'll see you guys soon! Enjoy the story my guys!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 3**

_Last Chapter…_

"_You know, I ran into about eight people today who practically begged me to give you their thanks. Why do you always have to be so damn modest?" A voice from behind him said. Ash turned on his heel to see a young man with silky brown hair. It draped gently in front of his left eye, preventing people from seeing both of his green orbs. He stood about six feet tall and had a cheeky grin on his face. He was on the skinnier side, but by no means was considered a "twig." His light brown skin appeared to be radiating off the sun._

_He was wearing his signature outfit: a black suit with a white dress shirt underneath it. Though he wore no tie, he did sport a pair of signature black dress shoes to match his black belt and dark grey pants. Ash knew that most people of the opposite gender particularly liked this man due to his "Playboy" type of vibe about him. Seriousness was not in his veins… with one exception: Battling. Ash knew how cunning this man could be as a battler; if you let your guard down around him during a Pokémon battle, he was sure to make you regret it. His trusted Pokémon partner walked alongside him, a tan and brown lion with a large flame about its head. _

_This man is named Xavier Blackmon… the first member of Elite Four in Alola; the Ground and Fire Type specialist._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_Already telling him about your victory? You couldn't wait just one minute?"_

_Ash turned and saw another young man with dark blonde hair walking towards them. The sides of his head were close to shaved, and the top was parted to the right. He stood about three inches shorter than Xavier, but was far more muscular that him. His dark brown eyes appeared to be endless if your looked at them. Regardless of how annoyed the words may have sounded; he still wore a small grin on his face._

_He was wearing an odd outfit to say the least. It was simply white pants, along with red shoes and a drawstring bag that was held up by two, long pieces of red fabric, that crossed diagonally across the man's muscular chest, creating a large "X" right on the center of the man's body. His Pokémon partner was glowering at Xavier's partner, seemingly annoyed for some reason. The yellow and blue Pokémon that oddly resembled a Lucario stood firmly at its trainers side, prepared for anything upon a moment's request._

_This man is named Axel Fractera… the second of four members of the Alolan Elites: the Electric Type specialist._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_The remark had come from a beautiful young girl who was standing with a frying pan over the closest stovetop. The girl stood at approximately 5'5" with a rather sultry smile on her face. Her perfectly defined cheekbones along with her heavenly curves made her attractive eye-candy for any male who happened to walk by her. _

_She had gorgeous green hair that she currently had wrapped back in a medium sized ponytail, and matched it with alluring green eyes. Her outfit was simple: a dark pink blouse that barely covered her lower garments and squeezed her chest to amplify the size of her assets. She wore pure white boots and a white flower in her hair. By her side, the Eeveeolution of affection stood proudly at her trainers side._

_This girl's name is July Ruftulis… the third member of the Alolan Elite Four: The Fairy type specialist._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_The last unknown figure of the group spoke. "I recommended it; figured it would be kinda cool for you to have one last meal before the big day Ash." _

_The girl who spoke seemed to be an ominous figure on the outside, but, on the inside, she was a good friend, and an even better fighter. She stood just above 5'8" tall, and had barely no fat on any part of her body, other than the spots that asked for it. She had curly pink hair that draped over her right eye, and let her other bright blue orb remain shining. Though her chest was smaller than July's, her backside was something to behold. _

_She was sporting a pair of tight, sports jeans that caught the eyes of many helpless males. On top, she wore a light, black sweater with the sleeves cut off. She had a face that would make many men swoon over her, before realized that she, in fact, was quite a badass. Her partner Pokémon, however, was nowhere in sight. _

_This girl's name is Zandra Polisik… the final member of the Elite Four in Alola: The Water and Ice Specialist._

_Present Day…_

Ash Ketchum let out a sigh... a very long and loud sigh. When he had become a champion, he hadn't really been thinking as much as he should've about the responsibilities that were in the "fine print", so to speak. For example, he would've _loved _to have known about the random meetings that Mr. Goodshow could call at any time and every champion was required to go. Yeah… those were the worst by a longshot.

That's why he currently found himself sitting at a large circular table that had only had 7 total seats: One for the coveted Mr. Goodshow, and one for each champion. Ash took a tally once to make sure he wasn't forgetting anyone: Lance, Steven, Cynthia, Alder, Diantha, and of course, himself. He had arrived a fair amount of time early, even though it wasn't needed, as nobody but himself had even arrived thus far.

He was in the beautiful region of Sinnoh at Lake Valor; the place where the meeting had been called. Usually, it was possible to be held anywhere, but this time it was Sinnoh, which was a fair distance from Alola. He was a little bit worried, but refused to show it on his face. Sporting his red vest, he had to show his dominance to the other champions, to see that the Alolan Champion was no pushover. After all…

"Hey, who are you?" A voice said. Ash lost his train of thought at the statement. He turned and saw a man with bright orange hair and a Hawaiian-looking shirt on to match it. Ash saw that the rest of the champions filled in behind him with similar looks of confusion. Of course, this was all but one red-haired champion who gave him a knowing grin as he closed the door behind himself. Ash chuckled softly and thought. _'After All… this is the first one I've actually ever been to.'_

It was true. Ash had purposefully avoided going to all of these meeting because of the inevitable questions that would soon follow. Lance had ended up bailing him out and many occasions, and for that much, Ash would be forever grateful.

"Hey! I asked you a question!" the man said again, once more startling Ash out of his thoughts. Alder, the champion of Unova, was standing in front of him with a curious glance. Ash opened his mouth to speak but then he was interrupted by Mr. Goodshow, who still looked exactly the same as he did over half a decade prior. "That's enough Alder! No reason to get into his face when we'd all like to know the same piece of information you are attempting to extract from him!"

By now, everyone had taken their seats. Mr. Goodshow cleared his throat and spoke while looking at Ash. "Now, pardon me if I seemed confused, but who exactly are you? I don't recall ever seeing you before…"

Everyone was silent as they watched Ash for a response. After a moment, he spoke. "I would like to thank all of you for your hospitality today. Forgive me for not introducing myself sooner; my name is Ghost." At that sentence, a chorus of gasps circuited around the table. Lance looked as though nothing had changed in the slightest, while Steven had a raised eyebrow. Cynthia's eyes were slightly widened in surprise, Alder looked taken aback, and Diantha had slightly narrowed her eyes while inspecting him.

Mr. Goodshow, however, was the only one who could speak. "So… you're the champion from Alola then eh? Lance here had saved your ass on multiple occasions, care to tell me why you've decided to skip out on over a _dozen _meetings? You know, the ones that are mandatory?" Ghost spoke quietly. "No, not particularly." Everyone sweatdropped at this. Mr. Goodshow sighed. "Very well, you've got our attention. Why exactly is it that you chose to come to this particular meeting?"

Ghost smirked a little. "Well, isn't it obvious? This is the meeting where we shall decide where the half decade tournament will be held, and I also had reasons to believe that this committee would decide to send the tournament to Alola either way, whether I was present for this meeting or not." The champion's didn't say a word, impressed by Ghost's information. Mr. Goodshow, however, did have something to say.

"You are correct, Mr. Ghost. The tournament—"

"Please. Ghost is just fine; Mr. Ghost makes me sound old." Ghost said jokingly. That got a chuckle out of Lance and Steven, with curious looks from the females and Alder. Mr. Goodshow couldn't suppress a smile. "Ghost it is. Your assumptions are correct Ghost, the tournament is being held in Alola in the newly built stadium and city." Ghost, however, didn't seem to find it all that good. "You make it sound like you've already decided."

Goodshow nodded. "It's because we have."

Ash's eyes widened a little at that. He stared around the table and saw nobody was batting an eyelash. So they _had _already decided it without him. Lance spoke with a very small hint of sarcasm. "That's what you should expect from someone who's managed to skip out on every meeting… although I'm not so sure why it one would consider it a bad thing." Mr. Goodshow turned to Lance. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lance chuckled a little.

"Ah nothing… nothing at all. Mr. Goodshow, I'll fill in Ghost in private if that's quite alright."

To both Ash's and Lance's surprise, Mr. Goodshow wasn't as lenient as they thought he'd be. "I don't think so Lance. I know you've vouched for this kid multiple times and I respect that decision. Clearly, he's someone of great power. Even out here, people heard about the chance to become a Champion in a relatively newer region. That attracted plenty of attention all over the world. The fact that you're supporting him means he deserves to be here; you wouldn't do anything of the sort otherwise."

Mr. Goodshow got up and walked right next to Ash so he could stare at him. Lance was watching this with relative curiosity, as were the rest of the champions. Mr. Goodshow stared at his attire: A red and white Pokémon hat, the zip-up red vest, the black arm brace, along with the gray pants and gray shoes. He noticed the necklace wrapped around his lower throat along with the Z ring to boot. His brown hair didn't really stand out at all, but what did were his green eyes. It was more than just a little bit odd; Mr. Goodshow couldn't remember the last time he had seen…

He shook off the thought. It was ridiculous as it was. **(AN: If you're confused by Ash's eye color, don't worry. I purposely said green. Hopefully soon it'll make sense.) **Now… he got back to his original train of thought.

"I know very well why you came today Ghost, and I know additionally why you haven't come to any past meetings." The Ghost coolly replied. "That so? Enlighten me." On the inside, however, Ash silently prayed that this old geezer, who he secretly really was proud of for doing so good, wasn't actually telling the truth.

Goodshow spoke. "You obviously chose not to come to any meetings…"

Ash silentlyheld his breath. "…because your blasted city wasn't completed." The silent breath of air that Ash had been holding in wheezed out softly.

Mr. Goodshow went on a rant. "When your designer Sophocles sent me the final pictures of the city not too long ago, I couldn't believe just how magnificent it was! It was royal! Astounding! Completely and utterly Magnificent! He swore to me that it would be ready in time for the tournament, and I was legitimately about to place the tournament in Unova…" Ash's eyes bulged slightly at this. Goodshow quickly spoke. "B-but don't worry! I knew your designer would succeed, and just in the nick of time; A mere _month _before the tournament starts!"

Of course, Mr. Goodshow didn't know the _real _reason Ash was so shocked. If he had just waited another month to complete ALT City, then Aether Paradise wouldn't have to undergo additional security measures to keep on onlookers from the tournament that was bound to attract a landslide of people. He also wished he had knew that Sophocles had promised Mr. Goodshow that ALT would be done by the tournament, but, he knew better than to dwell on the past. It was better to focus on the future.

Now, of course, Aether Paradise only had a month to jack up security measures before the tournament began. However, Ash was cut off from his thoughts when he realized he had been _slightly _daydreaming. He saw everyone's eyes lingering over him, and he realized that they were all waiting for a response. Mr. Goodshow had a grin on his face and Ash spoke quietly.

"You're correct, Mr. Goodshow." Mr. Goodshow laughed. "I knew it!"

"However, you're not entirely correct, I'm afraid. You see, I was indeed overlooking the construction of the Pokémon League, the construction of ALT City, and the Alola Battle tournament that comes around every so often. It kept me busy, but what kept me most busy were the citizens of ALT City themselves." Everyone was now giving their full attention to Ash, who spoke truthfully.

"The island ALT City is on is man-made… only 3 years old to be exact. I ordered it to be built so that we could have Alola's largest city connected with the Pokémon League as well as Aether Paradise; a place that contains elite allies of mine that deal with extraterrestrial beings called Ultra Beasts. I figured being in such close quarters with the organization would prove fruitful. I was correct." Cynthia appeared surprised. "Why have we not heard of these Ultra Beasts?"

Ghost spoke. "Because we in Alola have made sure that the threat of Ultra Beasts can be nullified and contained in Alola and Alola alone. If it got out to the public that these things can appear anywhere if not contained, chaos would ensue. As long as Aether Paradise is functional, no Ultra Beast can appear outside of Alola. We made sure of this. However, the threat of Ultra Beasts is just one thing I was additionally occupied with."

Everyone continued to listen to the young champion. "There is an organization named Team Skull that roams Alola… your class 'C' douchebags. They're less organized than Rocket, less cunning than Galactic, less ambitious than Plasma, and not hellbent on powerful Pokémon like Flare. They're simply pests who try to assert dominance when the only thing they actually assert is how stupid they are."

That got a roar of laughter from Alder and Lance, both of them cracking up at Ghost's analysis. Cynthia rolled her eyes, while Diantha covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Steven just chuckled and shook his head. Goodshow remained silent.

"Essentially, they decided it'd be smart to try and steal your basic stuff from the local street vendors in ALT, so it's my job as Alola's leader to protect my people with every fiber of my being, and for that much, I swear I will do till my dying breath." That got a lot of attention from the champions and Mr. Goodshow; his swap from joking to seriousness was a little staggering.

Mr. Goodshow quietly said. "Spoken like a true champion. For the duty you have done for your fair country, I thank you. That said, it is your job and duty to protect your citizen, yet you never even came to a single meeting." Ash remained silent at this and Mr. Goodshow spoke with a sigh. "Very well. I suppose it's in the past now, especially since you can make it up to me by making sure everyone enjoys the tournament and ALT City. After all, you need to impress quite a few people with this city… including myself."

The rest of the meeting passed without too much delay or detour. After a couple more hours, everything was dismissed. But Ash wasn't done _just _yet. He had to talk to someone. As everyone was filing out, Ash muttered past the man's ear, "Meet me outside in five minutes. You know the place."

Five minutes later, Lance showed up at what Ash called "the view" of Lake Valor. It was a forest clearing that had a gorgeous sight of the lake. Lance saw him standing there and spoke. "You really oughta visit more… especially since I keep covering your sorry ass."

Ash chuckled without looking backwards to see his friend. "Oh come on. It wasn't twelve times." Lance laughed and spoke. "You're right actually." He clapped a hand on Ash's shoulder. "It was fourteen." Lance said with a huge smirk on his face. Ash grumbled and spoke. "It would've been and should've been fifteen; care to tell me why you didn't say anything?"

Lance played dumb. "About…"

"About how you lot already decided that Alola would host the tournament? Care to explain why I wasn't informed?" Ash said with a stern expression. Lance leaned in close to him and whispered. "Well where's the fun in that?"

Ash pushed him away and said. "Cut it out. This is a serious thing I'm talking about Lance, anyone else I could give a free pass to because they wouldn't know any different. You're a different story Lance."

Lance laughed. "And I'm serious when I say I wanted to visit you and play a little joke on you. Plus, now at least the champions are at least _familiar _with you and don't have to give you an earful in your own region." Ash opened his mouth to argue, then he realized Lance actually had a point. It was better to argue without any prying eyes that may take an interest in his personal affairs.

Ash sighed. "That's perhaps the only thing you're right about; I still would've preferred a heads up."

Lance nodded. "Noted. Now, what's fresh?"

Ash shrugged. "The elites are preparing for battle. Job-wise, same old same old. Everyone is just sticking with their guns I guess. The same applies to me." What Ash meant by jobs were simple: a good portion of the time, while ALT City was being prepared, the rest of his elites were out and defending the other islands and their gyms. Team Skull was commonly spotted on all four islands, but, when word spread around that the Alolan Elites were commonly on the islands, they panicked.

They were seen much less as a result. Ash himself had many duties as Champion. For one, he oversaw the entire construction of ALT City. He had been telling the complete truth in that retrospect. He also protected the people and gave them a leader to look up to that was kind and caring, but also fierce and someone that was not to be messed with. He needed to have that kind of vibe. Overall, their jobs took up a great portion of the day, and aside from weekends, they didn't see each other as a whole group all that much.

Lance spoke, "I suspect Zandra is doing well?" Ash raised his eyebrow at the question and turned to meet Lance's eyes. What he got was a bit startling to say the least. Lance was staring away from his with a rather large and obvious blush all over his face. Ash's eyes narrowed and he spoke dangerously. "And why would you like to know that little piece of information Mr. Champion?"

Lance stuttered. "I-I-I mean… I-I w-w-was just a l-little c-curious… a-after all…" Ash cut him off. "You… did "you-know-what… with her. Then you left. Do you realize that?" Ash growled in his throat. Lance was silent. Ash slowly walked to a tree and with a mighty roar punched it with all of his might. In a rush, Lance saw Ash's faithful partner Pikachu run to his side. "Pika Pika! Pika Pi?" It cried out at its trainer.

Ash nodded slowly. "Yes… I'm fine buddy. Thanks for worrying about me." With that, Pikachu ran up Ash's arm and sat down on his shoulder while looking at Lance. Ash spoke quietly to Lance. "Lance, you are one of my best friends. Nothing will change that. But…" He shook his head slowly. "But what you did to Zandra was demoralizing for her. She believes you didn't even have any feelings for her. We tease her about it because it distracts her from the fact that you took her and left."

Lance blinked. "Why do you tease her if it brings up bad memories?"

Ash smirked a little. "Ah… perhaps it's a question for her to answer. Now… I will tell you this right now Lance. You saved my life. For that, I am eternally grateful. But… you broke her heart. I owe you my life, but you're giving me a reason to take yours. So… I'll make it simple." He got up to eye level with Lance and the two exchanged close eye contact for about ten seconds, neither one wavering or backing down. Ash spoke quietly. "She still has feelings for you, Lance…"

Lance's eyes widened in shock. "A-are you… Are you serious?" Ash nodded and spoke softly. "You know I don't lie Lance. It's not in my M.O. So… for that, I will tell you this as well. It is inevitable that you'll see her at this upcoming tournament since she is guaranteed to be a participant… and for all we know, you may battle her along the way. You broke her heart once."

He spoke firmly. "I will not stand for a second Lance. Regardless of you saving me, I refuse to allow you to hurt my friends consistently." He then whipped around and said with a sigh. "No matter the reason. Remember that Lance, do not make another mistake with her, you make her vulnerable."

He called out his flying type Pokémon and hopped on. He looked down at Lance and grinned. "Oh… by the way… good to see you again! See you in a few weeks bud!" Ash then zoomed off towards the Pokémon League in a gust of wind, water from the lake swirling around him rapidly. Lance just chuckled and shook his head at the young man before walking back to socialize with the champions.

_Three Weeks Later…_

The word had spread like a wildfire; The Tournament that came along every half decade was upon the Pokémon world. Mr. Goodshow announced that every elite from every region, along with the gym leaders that came along with them would also be accepted in the tournament. The rewards were really quite simple: A Master Ball, A Bit of Money, and the title that every trainer sought to have: Not a Pokémon Master… but a Pokémon Legend.

A Pokémon Legend was a trainer that went down in history as one of the best; someone who had untouchable bonds with their Pokémon along with the training and strength to conquer all in their path. They were trainers that defended their planet with their dying breath… sometimes… literally. It was the title that nearly every trainer wanted, it was just a matter of just how much someone was willing to sacrifice to claim it.

When the number was announced on just how many trainers were being accepted, it stunned people. How many people were participating in such an event? Over 500. 512, to be exact. However, when you thought about additional numbers, it wasn't as many as some people thought it to be.

After one round of battling, over 250 people were eliminated just like that. And, there were a grand total of 56 Gym Leaders, 28 Elites, and 7 Champions that were joining into the tournament, and obviously, most of them being the heavily favored ones. That right there made up 91 contestants instantly. It meant only 400 people could make it in that weren't that highly leveled up the chain of power.

There were different ways to get in: If you won a league in the past 5 years, it gave you a great chance at an invitation. If you got a sponsor, you were nearly guaranteed an invitation. There were other ways as well, but winning a league was the best way to do things in the eyes of many trainers. The invitations themselves were said to be mailed just more than a week before the tournament began. It was that time, and everyone was finding out if they had made it in.

Of course, May Maple was not aware just a tournament was even taking place. She didn't know that it even existed. And she was perfectly fine with it. It only reminded her of a certain raven haired boy. Unfortunately, her brother was still a Pokémon trainer. This meant that no matter how hard she tried to avoid it, she couldn't. Her parents, who were unaware of Max's actions, were forcing her to attend the tournament.

This was because Max had been invited to the tournament due to his accomplishments. Their parents had been so proud, but, they didn't know the truth about Ash Ketchum and what had really happened. Max had told her everything that she needed to know. It was eavesdropping, and she wasn't proud of it, but it made her hate her brother with a passion. Before, he had simply been annoying, but when she heard about sending Ash to hell, her heart snapped.

Of course, little did she know… **(AN: Oh Never Mind.) **When Max had come bounding into their main living room in Petalburg City holding a slip of paper while screaming, "Oh My God! Oh My God I got in I got in!", everyone in the room was at attention. Norman held up his hands and said. "Whoa Max! What is it?"

He gleefully said. "I got accepted into the Tournament that's being held in the Alola Region! It's super restricted; only the best get approval to participate!"

Caroline spoke in a thoughtful tone. "The Alola Region? I've never heard of it." May silently agreed with her; what was the Alola Region anyway? It most certainly wasn't local, no chance of it being nearby, otherwise, she would've known about it. While the females of the Maple family didn't know about Alola, Norman did.

"I've heard of Alola before." Everyone gave him their attention as he spoke. "Alola is a very far away region that used to be a very rural region, split into four sections. Additionally, there are Pokémon there that can't be found anywhere else, well, so the rumors go around in this area. It's purely speculation."

Max's eyes lit up with greed; he could show off his unseen Pokémon and get tons of girls and fame! After winning the tournament, he'd go down in history! But, his daydreaming session was cut short when his father spoke again. "I've also heard more about the type of region it's become. It was _once _a completely rural region that some people would go to simply for sightseeing and vacation."

He was silent for a second before speaking. "That all changed when Mr. Charles Goodshow, leader and chairman of the Pokémon League Committee, decided that is was time to give Alola a Pokémon League. Once the league was established, he decided to have a tournament there to see who the best person was to become the Alolan Champion. He didn't think a ton of people would go… boy… was he wrong. Many people went, some elites even tried their luck to go and attempt to become the new champion. As it turned out, the winner of the tournament could never have been predicted."

Max was anxious, May was silent, and Caroline appeared to be lost in thought. Max spoke eagerly. "W-well? Who is the champion?"

Norman spoke again. "That's just it; nobody knows who the champion really is. The person who won was a young boy not too much older than you Max. He was 16 when he won, so he's supposed to be 19 or so now. But, nobody knows his name. He's simply known by one name." Norman paused before saying quietly.

"The Ghost."

Max's eyes widened a little in fear, while May was listening with very peaked curiosity. "Nobody knows where Ghost came from, what his past is, nothing. It's like he appeared out of thin air. But… when he was crowned champion of Alola, people expected him to laze around and do nothing. He did the exact opposite: he swore to the people of Alola that nobody would overlook them anymore, nor would they stand to being pushovers anymore. And thus… that's precisely what he did."

Norman continued. "The Ghost developed eight gyms with fabulous reputations. He made new cities with a snap of his fingers that attracted more attention. He built a castle for the Pokémon league and all its elites, and he even built one of the most high-tech cities in the world that is finally starting to generate enough tourism to fund a whole region as a whole; it's called ALT City."

"His most noble deed, however, was none of those. It was the choosing of all of his elites that is most notable. When he was anointed Champion, everyone believed he would choose his elites purely on power and call it a day. However, he did nothing of the sort. He interviewed some people who hadn't even made top 16, and gave them the roles of his elites. Of course, when this happened, he received much backlash for many months for the decision. However, when the time came to try and battle his elites, the challengers were blown away. He had chosen his elites not on the floor they demonstrated in the Champion Challenge, but by the ceiling they could hit. It shocked the entire region, and nobody really knows why he chose the elites he did, but nobody is regretting it in Alola now."

"Since the Ghost has become champion in Alola, the entire region is prospering. They now look up to him like the father they never had, and rightfully so. Because of him, Alola is no longer a name that people don't know. Alola is now a name people associate with Power, Beauty, and elegance. He has led the region to glory, and this tournament will likely solidify that." May suddenly had a revelation: for some odd reason that she couldn't place her finger on, she knew she had to meet the Ghost.

In her mind, there was only one thing that made sense: _'If anyone can help me prove Ash was betrayed… the Ghost is the one to go to. With his modesty and nobility, maybe… just maybe… he can help me prove Ash wasn't just killed by that Volcano… he was killed by his so called friends.' _Her mind wandered. Seeing that look on his face, that face that looked like the end of the world was upon him, it crushed her. She wished she had just not kissed Drew… and then maybe none of this would even be happening! She yearned for him to still be with her, but alas, it was not to be.

All she could do now was simply take revenge on those who damned him.

Caroline spoke to her husband with general curiosity. "Just _how _exactly do you know all of this?" Norman grinned. "I have a friend who's told me all about it! In fact, he's coming here to visit and to take us to Alola tomorrow!"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Norman spoke. "I'll get it." He then vanished from view a few seconds later as he walked to get the door. A minute or so later he came back and laughed loudly. Beside him was a young man with dark brown skin and a very odd hairdo that looked like a volcano, red and spiked high into the air. He wore brown sandals and a simple pair of brown shorts, leaving his muscular chest and legs exposed. "And speak of the devil, here he is now! Everyone, I'd like for you to meet—"

The man interrupted and said with a smile. "Kiawe! That's me! I know your dad from all of the Gym Leader meetings we have to go to!" May's eyes were awed. "So you're a gym leader too?"

Kiawe nodded and proudly said. "You got it! I'm the Eahrith Town Gym Leader, and the Fire Type specialist of Poni Island!"

**AN: Ohhhhhhh Boy! The first member of Ash's Alola Group is known! The Question is, does Kiawe know about Ash's haunted past with the Maple Family? Is he aware that May broke his heart, and that Max allowed Ash to die? Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out and see what happens!**

**In case it wasn't clear, Eahrith (Pronounced: R-Rith) Town is purely a name I made up to have a Gym Leader. Some other cities have made up names as well that may or may not be revealed in the story. If they aren't revealed, don't sweat it. It's not that important as a whole. **

**This one is just gonna break 6,000 words! I'm thankful I've been able to keep up posting a generally solid rate, but I've only just gotten back from my vacation, and now I begin working like crazy, so I'll have to see about what I'll do for typing. I'm typing this the day I'm going to post (Sunday) so I can't always guarantee it will be ready a week later (I try to post once a week.) Sorry if I can't guys! **

**If you have any questions, please, feel free to message me and review to the story. If you're new and love what you see here, please make sure to Follow and Favorite the story! It means a lot guys! That's all I've got to say! Stay tuned to find out more in the story!**

**LegionZ**


	4. Welcome to the Party

**Hi Everyone! It's LegionZ here bringing you all another chapter to this story! If you all enjoy it, please make sure you leave a review letting me know what you thought of it and any recommendations you may have! In addition, if you're new, please make sure to follow and favorite the story! It would mean a lot to me if you could show your support for the story and every chapter of it along the way! **

**So, lets talk! I'm typing this chapter on Saturday (For those of you who have been keeping up with the story posts, I post every Sunday with this story…) and that means I'm very far behind with my typing. I was planning to do it all on Thursday, but something came up and I was unable to type anything. My hope is to type everything up today, but I have many doubts about just how much I'll be able to actually type.**

**Last chapter featured Kiawé, Ash's friend from Alola. (In this story, Ash still becomes an Ultra Guardian along with Kiawé, but instead of helping his family farm, Ash hires Kiawé to become the new Gym Leader of Eahrith Town Gym Leader. The question, however, remains: While Kiawé is taking the Maple's to see the Ghost and the Alola Region, is he aware of Ash's broken past with the family? Will he give away Ash's identity to them? Or is he aware and choose not to say anything? Read the chapter to find out.**

**I think that's enough of an intro, I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and as per usual, I'll give a recap of the previous chapter as well in case you missed a big part of the story. Thanks everyone, enjoy!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 4**

_Last Chapter…_

"_I know very well why you came today Ghost, and I know additionally why you haven't come to any past meetings." The Ghost coolly replied. "That so? Enlighten me." On the inside, however, Ash silently prayed that this old geezer, who he secretly really was proud of for doing so good, wasn't actually telling the truth. _

_Goodshow spoke. "You obviously chose not to come to any meetings…" _

_Ash silently held his breath. "…because your blasted city wasn't completed." The silent breath of air that Ash had been holding in wheezed out softly._

_Mr. Goodshow went on a rant. "When your designer Sophocles sent me the final pictures of the city not too long ago, I couldn't believe just how magnificent it was! It was royal! Astounding! Completely and utterly Magnificent! He swore to me that it would be ready in time for the tournament, and I was legitimately about to place the tournament in Unova…" Ash's eyes bulged slightly at this. Goodshow quickly spoke. "B-but don't worry! I knew your designer would succeed, and just in the nick of time; A mere month before the tournament starts!"_

_Of course, Mr. Goodshow didn't know the real reason Ash was so shocked. If he had just waited another month to complete ALT City, then Aether Paradise wouldn't have to undergo additional security measures to keep on onlookers from the tournament that was bound to attract a landslide of people. He also wished he had knew that Sophocles had promised Mr. Goodshow that ALT would be done by the tournament, but, he knew better than to dwell on the past. It was better to focus on the future. _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_He gleefully said. "I got accepted into the Tournament that's being held in the Alola Region! It's super restricted; only the best get approval to participate!"_

_Caroline spoke in a thoughtful tone. "The Alola Region? I've never heard of it." May silently agreed with her; what was the Alola Region anyway? It most certainly wasn't local, no chance of it being nearby, otherwise, she would've known about it. While the females of the Maple family didn't know about Alola, Norman did._

"_I've heard of Alola before." Everyone gave him their attention as he spoke. "Alola is a very far away region that used to be a very rural region, split into four sections. Additionally, there are Pokémon there that can't be found anywhere else, well, so the rumors go around in this area. It's purely speculation."_

_Max's eyes lit up with greed; he could show off his unseen Pokémon and get tons of girls and fame! After winning the tournament, he'd go down in history!_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Max spoke eagerly. "W-well? Who is the champion?"_

_Norman spoke again. "That's just it; nobody knows who the champion really is. The person who won was a young boy not too much older than you Max. He was 16 when he won, so he's supposed to be 19 or so now. But, nobody knows his name. He's simply known by one name." Norman paused before saying quietly._

_"The Ghost."_

_Max's eyes widened a little in fear, while May was listening with very peaked curiosity. "Nobody knows where Ghost came from, what his past is, nothing. It's like he appeared out of thin air. But… when he was crowned champion of Alola, people expected him to laze around and do nothing. He did the exact opposite: he swore to the people of Alola that nobody would overlook them anymore, nor would they stand to being pushovers anymore. And thus… that's precisely what he did."_

_Norman continued. "The Ghost developed eight gyms with fabulous reputations. He made new cities with a snap of his fingers that attracted more attention. He built a castle for the Pokémon league and all its elites, and he even built one of the most high-tech cities in the world that is finally starting to generate enough tourism to fund a whole region as a whole; it's called ALT City."_

_"His most noble deed, however, was none of those. It was the choosing of all of his elites that is most notable. When he was anointed Champion, everyone believed he would choose his elites purely on power and call it a day. However, he did nothing of the sort. He interviewed some people who hadn't even made top 16, and gave them the roles of his elites. Of course, when this happened, he received much backlash for many months for the decision. However, when the time came to try and battle his elites, the challengers were blown away. He had chosen his elites not on the floor they demonstrated in the Champion Challenge, but by the ceiling they could hit. It shocked the entire region, and nobody really knows why he chose the elites he did, but nobody is regretting it in Alola now."_

_"Since the Ghost has become champion in Alola, the entire region is prospering. They now look up to him like the father they never had, and rightfully so. Because of him, Alola is no longer a name that people don't know. Alola is now a name people associate with Power, Beauty, and elegance. He has led the region to glory, and this tournament will likely solidify that." May suddenly had a revelation: for some odd reason that she couldn't place her finger on, she knew she had to meet the Ghost. _

_In her mind, there was only one thing that made sense: 'If anyone can help me prove Ash was betrayed… the Ghost is the one to go to. With his modesty and nobility, maybe… just maybe… he can help me prove Ash wasn't just killed by that Volcano… he was killed by his so called friends.' Her mind wandered. Seeing that look on his face, that face that looked like the end of the world was upon him, it crushed her. She wished she had just not kissed Drew… and then maybe none of this would even be happening! She yearned for him to still be with her, but alas, it was not to be._

_All she could do now was simply take revenge on those who damned him.  
_

_Present…_

"Daaaaaaaddddddd…" Max whined. "Do I _really _have to wear these clothes?" Norman firmly spoke. "Yes, you do. Do you want to become Champion?"

Max stuttered. "W-w-well of c-course!"

Norman said. "Then you have to act like one. This event is the first step to attend this event and make a good impression on everyone! That's how you can attract positive attention to yourself and make yourself presentable. That's what you need to know, and that is what you must do if you truly have this much ambition."

The Maples were currently driving to one of ALT City's most famous buildings: _The Party Starter._ The entire building was rented out by the League Committee for the entire day so that the league champions, elites, leaders, and trainers who were accepted into the tournament could socialize with one another and get to know each other before the tournament began. While Max and his dad were arguing about the suit's and attire, Caroline was staring out the window and the magnificent views of ALT City, and May was deep in thought.

She was wearing a beautiful light blue dress that sparkled at the base. Her firm bust was showing nicely, as was her backside. Her hair was still in her usual style, and she wore a rather pretty white bandana on her head to match her outfit. But, her mind was roaming on things nowhere near her dress.

Her mind was currently pondering her current course of action: She was coming to this party to find the Ghost. After Kiawé, who was driving the car for them, and her dad talk about the Ghost, she knew he was the one person who could possibly help her. The issues, however, were very obvious: Would he even listen to her? How could he possibly investigate a case that happened six years prior? Could she even find him and talk to him in private? There were so many things that could go wrong, her plan seemed destined to fail.

"Hey Kiawé, what's the Ghost like?" Max said eagerly.

Kiawé looked into the mirror and stared back at Max's face, one that seemed anxious, and somewhat… overconfident. Kiawé took his time responding and said. "What do you mean by that?"

Max got a little annoyed. "I mean… what's he like?"

Kiawé got oddly silent for a moment before speaking. "He's a tremendous trainer. He and his Pokémon train together for hours on end before finally calling it quits on a day's work. Sometimes he just relaxes at the League, while other times I think he likes to go shopping and exploring through ALT City… he did, after all, oversee the construction of this entire city that we're driving through as we speak."

Max was still unconvinced. "That's not what I meant."

Kiawé was getting a little heated now. "Then what _did _you mean exactly?"

Max shot back. "I _MEANT, _what kind of Pokémon does he have?" Kiawé looked like he was about to explode, so Norman cut in and spoke. "Max! That's enough! Kiawé has been kind enough to show us around and drive us there, you don't need to ruin the day with constant badgering on the region's champion."

Max sulked in his seat while Kiawé took a deep breath to calm himself down from the previous conversation. What May had noticed that nobody else had, was that Kiawé, when talking directly to Max about the Ghost, seemed much more… off… then when talking about it to her mom and dad. She placed it in the back of her mind for the time being, because…

"We're here!" Kiawé announced.

The party was, indeed, already rolling. It had been going on since noon of that day, where Elites and Champions were only allowed. Now, at five o clock sharp, the rest of competitors were urged to go and socialize. Of course, their families and friends were allowed to go as long as they were cleared and confirmed by the party. May looked up at the massive five story building in front of her. Lights could be seen flickering out of the windows above, and on the way in, she saw a gorgeous pool and grassy area behind the building.

She paled considerably. How was she going to find the Ghost in this mess?

_(The Party Starter) TPS… Third Floor_

Everyone was dancing on the floor. The first floor was primarily for calm socializing, and of course, the backyard was the outside area. The second floor was various games such as Pokémon pool, darts, a miniature Pokémon baseball field (the elites and guests were completely taken off guard with this game), and other games. The third floor was, well, the dance floor. And the fourth floor was the battlefield. Pokémon were required to stay in their pokeballs unless they were on the fourth floor. This was to prevent any unfortunate accidents.

Meanwhile, on the center of the dance floor… "Come On Guys! Let's break it down!" A green haired man yelled before starting to dance in a way that could be rightfully nicknamed, "The Awkward Freestyle." Lucian groaned. "Aaron, you look like someone who just doesn't know what the hell you're doing…"

Aaron stopped dancing and huffed. "I'll have you know that I _do _know what I'm doing, I'm freestyling!"

A voice cut in. "Yo guys, stop dancing and start drinking!" A man with bright orange hair came over holding up a red cup. "You guys have _got _to try this Apple Juice… it tastesssssss… sooooooooo" He slurred loudly before stumbling forward into Lucian's arms. Lucian blinked and said loudly. "Flint… are you sure you're alright?!"

"I believe this drink is called an Appletini, if I am not mistaken." Aaron and Lucian turned to see Bertha, the last of their elite, holding the cup in her hand. Aaron started laughing and Lucian frowned. "Aaron this is serious! Flint could be in danger!"

Aaron laughed. "In danger of getting wasted, WHOOOOO!" At that instant, a beat drop hit, and everyone began jumping around higher and higher to the music, including Aaron. Lucian and Bertha helped Flint to the side of the room, where they saw their Champion sitting by herself, drinking some sort of Alcohol. When she saw Flint, she groaned and stood up. She asked the other female. "What happened to him this time?"

"If I understand the situation correctly, to put it correctly…" She began, but Lucian cut her off. "He's drunk. Quite badly at that."

A quiet voice said. "I believe this will help. At these kinds of parties, you tend to expect a few people to be in his state." The elites turned and had different reactions. Lucian's face turned a bright shade of pink, Bertha's face remained the same, and Cynthia's eyes slightly widened. There, before them all, was a gorgeous girl. She had a long green ponytail and similar colored green eyes. She wore a beautiful dark blue dress that squeezed her chest and amplified her curves.

Lucian turned away to conceal his blush from the attractive girl, losing his usually cool demeanor. Bertha was the one to speak. "Ah, I do recognize this medicine. It will indeed cure Flint's ailment. I shall administrate it." While Flint was being helped by Bertha, Cynthia took the time to ask the girl. "Who are you?"

The girl smiled. "My name is July Ruftulis. While you don't know who I am, I do know who you four are. Miss Bertha, Mr. Flint and Lucian… and champion Cynthia. Where is the last of you? Elite…"

"Hey! Where'd you guys run off to?" A voice was heard. "…Aaron." She turned to see Aaron gawking at her body. She giggled. "May wanna close your mouth hun, you could catch some flies." Aaron slowly closed his mouth and Cynthia spoke again. "I know I've heard of a July Ruftulis… but why can't I remember you…"

Aaron suddenly gasped and pointed at her. "You're one of the region's elites!" Cynthia's eyes widened in shock and she whirled back to the girl who was nodding her head. "Yep! I am. I'm the fairy type elite here in Alola. Pleased to meet you!"

Aaron stuttered. "Y-you w-were featured on E-elite weekly! I n-n-never t-thought you'd be so beautiful in person!" The elites stared at him in shock, while Flint was still recovering from his intoxication. July told Aaron playfully. "Thanks for the compliment…" He blushed before she winked and told him. "But I have a boyfriend." Aaron's eyes bulged a little and he turned an incredibly dark shade of red. Lucian chuckled at Aaron's rejection.

Bertha spoke. "This region you have… it is fabulous. From what we've seen, it's amazing."

July spoke quietly. "It wasn't always this nice. Before our champion came to this region and took the reins, we looked like a region destined for failure. Everyone just thought our region was for tourism, and nothing more. During the winter, it was never easy to make a living since a good portion of Alola back then required good weather for jobs."

Lucian asked her. "Who is your champion anyway?"

July was quiet for a moment before telling him. "The Ghost is what we all call him. He became champion just three years ago, and since he did, Alola has thrived. He's put on us on the map, and on the path to glory. He's a brilliant man, though most people don't know it. He's young as well."

Cynthia raised an eyebrow. "Just how young?"

July smiled. "Only Nineteen. If I wasn't taken, I would make a run for him myself. He's single, after all." She winked at Cynthia, who lightly blushed and turned away.

'_I do feel a little bit guilty about throwing some of Ash's personal life out in the open, but he really does need to find a suitable girlfriend… one that isn't me. Besides, although he's super cute, he's not my type. Plus, if we started dating, questions would come up; questions that Ash doesn't prefer to answer. Best to try and get his love life on the move ever since the incident… because he hasn't had much of anything since.' _July's mind wandered.

Bertha saved Cynthia from embarrassment. "Sorry miss… I think nineteen is just _slightly _too young for someone like me." The entire group got a good laugh over the incident and asked July further about the region, to which she responded with relative ease.

_Second Floor…_

"I'm telling you; this game is next to impossible! You give it a try, I DARE you!" A man jet black hair spoke.

A group of five people were standing on the batter's box of the Pokémon baseball field. The field was large enough that you could actually hit the ball over the fence and it would go into the grassy area beneath them. It was like the field was on a ledge overlooking the entire city. A girl with purple hair and large glasses retorted. "Come now Grimsley, surely it can't be that difficult!" He held out the bat to her and spoke confidently. "Then give it a try Shauntal! I'll even pitch easy for you!"

"Out of the way. I'll down him right now." A man the size of a football player grabbed the bat from Grimsley's hand and spoke. "Well, pitch the ball dumbass! Anytime, while I'm still young here!" Grimsley walked to the mound, took a deep breath and pitched the ball. The man swung the bat with all his might, missed the ball entirely, and flipped himself to the ground with an incredibly loud THUD.

Grimsley was laughing hysterically at the man's misfortune, as did another man with flaming orange hair and a girl with an absurd amount of blonde hair. The man on the ground weakly spoke. "Alder… C-Catherine… shut i-it. It's n-not t-that funny…" Alder replied while laughing. "I beg to differ Marshal!" Catherine didn't say anything.

"You didn't plant your feet or twist your hips. It generates power and balance in your entire body. You essentially just swung with your arms, hence, why you flipped yourself." A rather husky voice said. The group turned to see a man with bright yellow hair that was cut very short standing there. He wore a white suit and a bright grin on his face. It was clear this man was very muscular, and Catherine was trying her hardest not to look at the man in front of her.

"And who exactly are you Newcomer?" Grimsley spoke loudly from the mound. The man held his hand out to Alder who shook it firmly. He then held his hand out to Marshal, who gave him the bat reluctantly. Axel carefully stepped up to the plate and dug his right foot into the ground and bent his knees lightly. He spoke loudly as he waved the bat in the air in slow circles behind him. "Whenever you're ready there!"

Grimsley paused a moment before pitching the ball. Axel stepped forward with his left foot and twisted his hips. He pulled his arms at the same time, flexing them to the point where it nearly ripped the suit he was wearing. The ball connected with the bat and the ball was sent flying into left-center field. The man whooped and cried out. "Going, Going… GONNNEEEE! SEE… YOU… LATER!" He then tossed the bat to the side and began to jog the bases while holding up his fist in celebration.

Marshal looked completely stunned as he was given the bat back by the man who grinned and spoke cheerfully. "Almost forgot! My name is Axel… Axel Fractera! I'm one of the elites here in Alola!"

Shauntal gasped and spoke. "You're one of the legendary elites here! You're so young though!"

Axel put a finger on his lower lip and said thoughtfully. "Actually, all of the elites here are younger than twenty-six… wait, twenty five. My bad. Our champion is actually the youngest person to ever be inducted as an elite or champion in the history of the world! He was only sixteen when it happened."

Alder looked curious. "So he beat you to take your spot? Or did he beat another one of your elites to take their spot?"

Axel laughed and said. "Nah, actually we never battled before he became champion."

"Huh? Then how did he become champion?" Grimsley said in bewilderment as he walked over from the pitcher's mound. Axel thought his words out carefully before he began. "How Alola chose it's leader was simple: Win a Tournament. Our leader won, and it was considered a major upset victory at the time. Everyone just expected bad things of him because Alola was considered the washup region in the eyes of many here."

He paused before speaking. "His first move as Champion didn't help his first view to the public. Almost everyone just expected him to select the most powerful trainers after him and he would call it a day, and people would've been fine with that."

Catherine murmured. "Why am I sensing a "but" in here…"

Axel continued. "But… our Champion didn't see it that way. He chose the four of us not based on our performance in the tournament, but how we'd all work together. He saw the four of us not as a "How high is our Ceiling" but "How high is our floor?" Essentially, he wanted to see our room for improvement, and what we'd do if we were elites in Alola. Not one of us made the top 8 in the tournament, yet he still felt confident enough to choose all of us as his elites."

Marshal was shocked. "B-b-but w-why? No o-offense to you or any other elites o-of course, but shouldn't he have chosen people that were strong enough to defend t-their positions? There has to be another reason he chose you all!"

Axel nodded. "And that there is. There is something that all of us have in common… something that ties all of us to one another. Our Leader saw this in all of our hearts, and rather than take immediate power, he opted to try and build the Alola League and strengthen his elites based on that bond that we all share. Back then, it seemed like a very bad move to many because the public does not know the bond we share. Now, they know we are dedicated to our region, no matter the cost."

Shauntal spoke excitedly. "Well? What's the bond you all share?"

Axel shrugged and cheekily said. "Can't say!"

Alder blinked. "Huh? Then why is the public okay with you running the show if you're still hiding something from them?"

Axel laughed a little. "Everyone's entitled to their secrets. As long as we protect Alola and do our duties to keep Alola beautiful, we'll be fine. And of course… as long as The Ghost is in Alola… We are the most powerful Region in the World."

_First Floor…_

Everyone was chatting amicably amongst one another on the bottom floor. A man with dark purple hair muttered aloud. "Parties have never been… _my _thing."

A gorgeous woman with light blue hair spoke back. "None of our things really involve parties Will, you know this. I'd just try to lighten up a little."

Another man next to her spoke softly. "Yes… and that's only because you've had more than half a dozen young men come up to you and ask for your Pokégear number. What a time you must be having."

The Kanto/Johto Elites found themselves chatting in a corner of the room nearby the rather large all-you-can-eat-buffet. Lance was watching the last member of their elite, Bruno, stuff his face with various kinds of goodies. Lance muttered. "Bruno… why is it that you eat this much? You really shouldn't."

Bruno looked back at his champion with a pile of food high enough to feed a family of four. He spoke with a mouthful of food. "Ermphhhh… whaaddoooomeeaan?" Lance fought the urge to facepalm but he spoke calmly. "Bruno… I said that you should really eat less."

"I agree." A female voice said. Lance turned and was met by a beautiful young girl with pink hair that draped over her right eye and fanned all down her back. She wore a simple white dress for her dress attire to the party. Lance, however, turned red when he realized who he was talking to and spoke quietly. "Zandra… it's… good to see you again."

She smiled and spoke. "It's good to see you too Lance. I know we have unfinished business to talk about, but that can wait for the tournament. For now… let's talk about your friends here and if they are who I think they are."

Karen, the other beautiful girl in the conversation, caught onto what was happening. "Lance… who is this girl? You clearly know her."

Lance opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off. "Lance… I can handle it. It's not polite for me to not introduce myself to people anyway." She walked up to Karen and held out her hand to her, to which Karen shook. "Forgive me for my rudeness. My name is Zandra Polisik, and I'm one of the elite four here in Alola." A round of gasps circled everyone who was within earshot of the statement. Will exclaimed. "You're one of the Elite Four here? I've heard they are extremely powerful… all four of them at that!"

Zandra shrugged. "Well I guess it comes with the title."

Koga, the poison type specialist of the group, questioned. "How exactly did you meet our champion?"

Zandra smirked at this, and Lance turned a dark shade of red. "Hehe, I'll let your champion answer that question." Everyone looked at Lance with questioning eyes before bursting out in laughter at his obvious uncomfortable state. He was just silently glad nobody had actually pushed the issue. Otherwise, things could've gotten a little hairy for him. Karen looked around. "Hey… isn't your champion here?"

Zandra's smirk left almost instantly. "Why do you want to know?"

Karen smiled a little. "I just want to introduce myself to him. I've seen a good few pictures of him… he's something to look at." Zandra spoke with venom. "I'd advise you to stay away from him."

Karen blinked. "Huh? Why?"

While Zandra and Karen continued their small skirmish, Lance was deep in thought. Although nobody else knew it, he knew _EXACTLY _why Zandra didn't want Karen talking to the Ghost. It was because he was very much aware of the incident that had occurred six years ago. To his knowledge, he was the only person outside the Alola Region who knew the truth: That Ash Ketchum and the Ghost were in fact, the same person.

_Six Years Prior…_

"Are you sure that the volcano is erupting? Are you positive?" A man yelled into his wrist. Lance stared at him for a moment or two before the man yelled again. "Then evacuate the Pokémon! We can't afford to take chances! Moltres is already out? That's a small piece of good news!"

More silence. "What do you mean it's been out for weeks? So it was able to tell it's home was erupting? That's good news, maybe it evacuated some Pokémon along with it!" Lance finally spoke. "How far out are we Lieutenant?" The man yelled back. "Five minutes, tops!"

Lance had been on his way back from a quick visit to the Alola Region. It was his time for tourism, and he had opted to try and get out for a while to see the newest and least developed region of them all. He had to admit, it was a start of something, but they really needed someone else to try and help out at building the region up. Then, on his way back, he had received an alert from his G-Men that a volcano was erupting in Kalos. While Kalos was extremely far from Kanto, it was a shorter distance from Alola. So, they picked up Lance to try and evacuate people nearby the Volcano. That was their current plan of attack. However, as they got closer and closer, it became clear that a new plan of action would have to be taken.

"Sir! We can't got the chopper any closer! We're risking the entire vessel and the crew if we get closer!" The pilot yelled.

Lance ordered. "Retreat! Get to a safe distance! I'll go check for survivors around the exterior!" The man ordered his troops of the new plan while Lance gripped a pokeball and tossed it out. "Dragonite, I need your help!" The yellow dragon roared as it appeared from the capsule and Lance hopped on it in an instant.

As he flew down into the fiery pit, he could see no signs of any Pokémon life anywhere. He really couldn't see much of anything for that matter. He suddenly heard a loud scream from somewhere deep within the abyss. Lance knew that it wasn't a Pokémon's cry… what was a human doing in here?

He told Dragonite. "Dragonite, I'm putting this mask on. I just heard something down in the volcano. We need to go in!" His faithful partner roared its agreement before it swooped down through the rapidly growing mass of smoke and attempted to look for any signs of any life inside the massive mountain.

Lance desperately scanned the sides of the massive volcano for the source of the scream, but after five minutes, he was beginning to lose all hope entirely. Finally, just as he was about to call it off, he saw something moving alongside the edge of a cliff. His eyes bulged when he saw not one moving figure, but a whole group of them! He couldn't make out who exactly they were, but he was fairly determined to find out. He yelled. "Dragonite! Go help those people get out of here!"

However, instead, Dragonite swooped down and plummeted straight towards the Lava Field below. Lance cried out. "DRAGONITE! WHAT ARE YOU—" He stopped yelling when he saw a rather gruesome sight. There, on a rock just above the lava, was a figure. He ordered Dragonite to land on the rock and to see the condition of the person. Lance couldn't believe someone was down here. He knew was likely must've happened. The group of people he had seen were likely tourists just wanted to get a few pictures, and when the volcano erupted, someone lost their footing, and case closed.

Nonetheless, he still wanted to see who this person was, and so that he could take the body back to the family of the deceased. However, when he actually got a close up of the person, he nearly vomited.

The figure was clearly male. His entire right arm was nearly melted away… presumably by an amount of Lava. Lance got on one knee to investigate the condition of him, and got a shock. The boy's skull was nearly completely broken, and yet, he was still breathing! He couldn't believe it, a nearly melted arm, a large fall (presumably), a broken skull and all of that inhaled smoke… but yet the boy was still alive? How did Dragonite even know to come down here anyway? Was he able to sense the trainer somehow?

It was only then that Lance tried to see if he recognized the boy, and was he ever shocked. He did know who this was! It was young Ash Ketchum, only really recognizable at the moment by the lightning-shaped scars on his face. Lance immediately hoisted Ash in his arms and on Dragonite's back. Lance yelled. "Let's get out of here Dragonite! Let's hope that group of people made it out safe and sound!"

As they flew to the surface, Lance heard a soft groaning. "A-Ash!?" he said in disbelief. Ash groaned weakly. "Wha…what…happened…" Lance couldn't believe Ash was even conscious in his condition. Lance swiftly acted and spoke. "Ash, it's Lance, Champion of Kanto and Johto. I just found you at the bottom of the volcano, I'm going to get you help at the base of the—" He was cut off by Ash saying.

"N-no… get… me… somewhere… q-quiet… s-somewhere… s-safe… C-Call… B-b-brock." He barely managed to get the sentence out in under a minute. Lance couldn't believe his ears. "Y-you're telling me you want medical attention from Brock instead of an actual _human _doctor? W-why? You could die here!"

Ash moaned weakly. "P-p-please… g-get me t-to Brock… T-t-tell nobody th-that you have m-me other t-than him… p-please…"

And then… Ash passed out. Lance immediately panicked at this. Should he listen to Ash, or go with his original mindset? He debated back and forth before finally giving in to the former. _'If Ash wants to see Brock this badly… so be it.' _He decided. Lance tossed off his mask and yelled to Dragonite. "Dragonite! Pewter City, Kanto! Full Speed Ahead! Go!" Lance took off in the distance, a cloud of smoke in his wake.

_Present…_

Lance also knew about how May had been caught making out with Drew just after confessing her love to Ash. It pained Lance to see the young boy in so much physical, but even more emotional pain. He swore he would help Ash back onto his feet to try and become a Pokémon Master… with the help of a champion at his side. Zandra, being one of Ash's elites, knew about the incident that had occurred with the last girl Ash ever loved, and was likely keeping the distance between other girls and Ghost as well. **(AN: That wasn't the last Flashback about the situation you'll see with Lance)**

'_Unless…' _Lance's mind suddenly fell in turmoil. What if Zandra was only defending him because she liked Ash and not himself? What if Zandra was trying to defend _their _relationship and not the one with him?

"Lance!?" Zandra yelled. Lance was snapped back to reality by Zandra yelling at him. He sputtered. "A-Ahhhh… W-w-what d-did I m-miss?"

"We were talking about grabbing something to eat… would you care to join me?" She held out her hand to him and Lance, who had regathered his confidence, took it with a grin. He silently pondered his thoughts. _'I was an idiot those years ago. I had a chance to make her mine forever… and I fucked up. It happened once.' _

He watched in slow motion as Zandra pulled him through the crowd of participants with a smile on her face.

'_It will not happen twice.'_

_Outside Area…_

Many people were languishing in the pool and hot tub area, just enjoying the night of freedom before the tournament began. **(AN: Do not ask me how they got bathing suits if they were all dressed up. It is a fanfiction. Just go with it… THX!) **Some people were splashing around in the water, while others were even kissing and making out.

"Why are people engaging in such… vile actions in a public area?" A man with dark-indigo colored hair spoke in bewilderment. Another man in a blue and white tuxedo replied, "It's beyond me Wikstrom. I can't understand it either. It's like they don't even care that all of their actions have consequences, especially the ones they engage when not in private. Those are the actions they'll regret most." Elite Four Siebold said quietly.

They walked over to a beach chair, to where their eldest member of their elite was attempting to sleep peacefully. Drasna, the dragon type specialist of their elites, commented. "I must say, this chair is really quite comfortable; it is as comfortable as the background noise is considered rather annoying."

"Annoying!? I absolutely love it here! These people know how to party!" Another voice cut in. The trio looked to see a rather sexy girl walking over in nothing but a tight pink bathing suit and sunglasses. She had curly pink hair that draped down the sides of her face and a sexy grin that were attracting the eyes of many males. She sat down next to the group with a huge smile on her face and said happily. "This party is awesome! This place has everything!"

Then, she dropped her voice to a low whisper. "Except for the amount of boys here who are considering me to being their next meal. The nerve of some of these boys!"

Siebold answered. "Well Malva… it doesn't frankly help that you're wearing such… revealing… clothing."

"He's correct Malva, perhaps you should resort back to your original attire? One worthy of a noble member of the Elite Four?" A melodic voice said. The elites turned to greet their champion, who was still wearing her usual white dress. Malva shrugged at her champion. "I'm not really one to wear such fancy clothes Diantha… you know this."

"Pardon me." A voice said. Malva got bumped by someone as they were attempting to slip by her. She got annoyed by the antics of the man and said angrily. "Hey! Watch it!" The man turned around and Malva's knees grew weak at the sight. He was a man in his mid-twenties by just looking at him. The man had chocolate-colored hair that was shaved on the sides and slightly long on the middle. His left eye was barely shaded by his hairstyle, but his right eye was a dazzling green. His skin was a beautiful light brown, his cheekbones were flawless, and he was sporting a cheeky grin. For his dress attire, he was wearing a black suit, pants, and shoes, with a white dress shirt to boot.

"I'm sorry for my rudeness. Do forgive me." He bowed in front of Malva, and he face turned the shade of her hair. "I-It's q-quite okay." She stuttered.

Diantha questioned the man. "Who exactly are you? Are you participating in this tournament that is occurring shortly?" The man turned over. "Ah, Champion Diantha, I presume? It is a great honor to be your acquaintance." He gently kissed her hand and spoke calmly to the entire group.

"My name is Xavier Blackmon. To answer your question, yes, I am indeed participating in this tournament. And I will do so as a prideful member of the Alola Elite Four!" Siebold, who had been completely uninterested in the entire conversation, was now at full attention. He spoke with a hint of surprise. "You're a member of the Alola Elite Four? What do you specialize in?"

He grinned a little. "I'm a multitype specialist: I work with Ground and Fire type Pokémon." He didn't notice, but Malva's blush appeared even more obvious now. First, Arceus threw a bunch of random boys at her who were checking her out and couldn't have been near her age of 26. Then, naturally, she runs into possibly one of the hottest guys she had ever met, who happened to be an elite, and using the same type of Pokémon she liked to use. The only thing that could make it even better…

"Who is your partner Pokémon? You know, the one you have the strongest bond with?" Drasna questioned the man.

"Ah… that would be my Pyroar… not a doubt about it." He answered.

Her blush now covered her entire face. She never took an interest to dating much since leaving Flare, it seemed as though there really wasn't anyone who peaked her curiosity. But now, she had her eyes set on this male. She knew really nothing about him, but it was her goal to. It seemed as though Arceus wanted her to get to know this male before the tournament ended, because they seemed to have quite a bit in common. It was just up to her to make the first move.

"Is your champion here tonight Xavier? I'd like to test his iron will in battle beforehand!" Wikstrom declared.

Xavier chuckled. "Actually, I'd be lying if I said I knew where he was. That's because I don't." Diantha was concerned. "You don't know where your own champion is? How come? I figured at an event like this he's bound to be here somewhere…"

Xavier laughed. "Nah… that's not how Ghost runs."

Malva's mind froze a little. _'The Ghost? Where does that name sound familiar…' _

Xavier continued. "The least we can do for him is to give him a little space. Truth be told, he honestly didn't want the tournament here because of the attention it would bring. He wanted to silently keep building up Alola, but Mr. Goodshow kinda pulled the trigger before Ghost wanted it out." _'That's part of the truth… We don't want people getting snoopy in our affairs with Ultra Beasts just yet.' _Xavier added in his mind as an afterthought.

Wikstrom was impressed. "I heard your champion built a good portion of the region all by himself and without his guidance, the success you've had today wouldn't have occurred… is this fact or fiction?"

Drasna scolded. "Wikstrom! That's not a polite way to ask that question!"

"But… he's right." The group turned to see Xavier nodding slowly. "Without him, I honestly don't know where we'd be right now… as a region or myself. He elected me as an Elite, and I was stunned. I thought for sure I had lost my chance to make a true mark on the world, but he saw something in me and wanted me to join him on his quest to make the Alola Region the most powerful region of them all. That's his ambition, and together, with the rest of Alola united under him, he's done just that."

_Roof…_

Ash found himself on the roof of buildings more times than he would've liked to admit. But… it was happening right now. After seeing all his old friends, companions, acquaintances, even rivals again, he wasn't sure he made the right move at first by staying away from everyone. He had glanced at July helping Flint recover from his intoxicated state. He had spotted Axel teaching the Unova elites how to play Pokémon baseball. He had seen Zandra pulling Lance away to get something. And of course, he had seen Xavier bump into Malva at the pool.

Then, on his way up, he felt his blood boiling. There, chatting with one another, were the traitors. Almost each and every one of them were here in Alola. The moment he had an opportunity, he would tell his elites about it. Max looked as though he had gained maybe half a foot of height in over six years, which Ash found hilarious. Misty looked as though her body hadn't changed in the slightest, despite the six year difference now, which Ash had to grin over. Iris and Cilan were holding hands, much to his surprise. To make that surprise double, imagine the look on his face when he saw Dawn leaning on Trip.

But… none of that compared to his prior disbelief when he saw none other than one Professor Samuel Oak talking with them amicably. He tried to think it was simply just coincidence; after all, this was a massive tournament, and Professor Oak could've just run into them by pure chance. Ash knew this was always a possibility.

But the more and more he thought about it, the more and more he was scared it was true; that Professor Oak was a certified member of the traitors. The issue? He needed to figure out some way to prove it.

"Ah… Ghost! Figured I'd find you up here!" A voice said. Ash turned around and was greeted by two figures. His mind nearly exploded when he recognized them.

**AN: Andddddd that's a wrap folks! To apologize for posting a day later than usual, I decided to make the chapter an extra 1.6k words, and I added in plenty of juicy material. Where to start? How about this for starters?  
**

**It seems as though all of Ash's elites are getting the attention of the other elites! Will Zandra and Lance make up with their past, or will it consume them once again? And what exactly **_**did **_**happen with them? What's going on with Malva? Does she have good intentions with Xavier, or will it merely be a casual fling? And what does she know about the Ghost that she couldn't recall in this chapter?**

**Finally, of course, we have the most important section of the chapter: Lance's Flashback. Ash was found on a rock, skull cracked, arm nearly melted off by lava… and yet he survived. What happened that day that allowed him to survive the betrayal of his so-called friends? Keep reading to find out. **

**If you're new, please make sure you follow and favorite myself and the story! It would mean a lot to me guys, so please do so if you like the story! That's all I have guys! This turned out to be one of the longest chapters I've ever typed (second longest I think, my longest was over 8k in the LOS Chronicles) and it clocked in at over 7,850 words! That's simply unreal! So I do hope you liked it, please let me know what you thought of it by leaving a review!**

**Thanks guys, till the next time!**

**LegionZ**


	5. Reunions

**Hi Everyone! I hope you all are having a good day! My name is LegionZ and I am here to bring you all chapter 5 to the Chosen One's Wrath! If you all are new, please make sure you follow and favorite the story if you haven't already! It would mean so much to me if you could show your support! Thanks guys!**

**Now onto other things: I've gotten plenty of messages from people that don't have a fanfiction account regarding this story. Sometimes it's merely just asking questions while other times it's merely comments about how much they liked the story. People who do have accounts can confirm that I take time to respond to everyone, even if it's criticism. While I can't respond to people who are merely guests, I do see everything. That being said, I generally don't type answers to guests questions on here. This one time, however, I'll be glad to do it. **

**A guest asked me why the champions and Mr. Goodshow didn't tell Ash the location without him being there. This is a very good question that I may have not answered well enough. The answer to that goes like this: in this fanfiction, the tournament that is going to be shown comes around every half decade or so in addition to other region-wide tournaments. The thing is, since Alola has just recently gotten their Pokémon league (I said three years ago as of this fanfiction) and no tournament has been held since, it would make sense for Mr. Goodshow and the committee to want to place the tournament in a location that can be seen as new by the public, and therefore, publicizing Alola. The reason Ash wasn't told was simply because he chose to not to attend any of the meetings, and Lance never said anything as a joke to Ash. Everyone kinda knows Mr. Goodshow is set on what he likes and prefers, so because Ash made the mistake to not show up to the meetings, Mr. Goodshow let it slide, but at the cost of having no say of where the tournament will be held. That's a fair price to pay for skipping mandatory meetings. **

**I hope I answered your question! Also, it came to my attention that for some odd reason, each chapter is automatically bolding itself. I honestly have no idea why this is happening. It happened once in chapter 3, I fixed it. Then, it happened again in Chapter 4, and I fixed it. I don't know why this is, and I've tried to make it stop happening but I'm currently coming up empty handed. If you all have any idea why this is, let me know! **

**And with that, I think this intro has gone probably 200 words too long. It's time to get back to the story… so you all can see what is happening after the cliffhanger! Enjoy everybody!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 5**

_Last Chapter…_

"_Hey Kiawé, what's the Ghost like?" Max said eagerly. _

_Kiawé looked into the mirror and stared back at Max's face, one that seemed anxious, and somewhat… overconfident. Kiawé took his time responding and said. "What do you mean by that?"_

_Max got a little annoyed. "I mean… what's he like?"_

_Kiawé got oddly silent for a moment before speaking. "He's a tremendous trainer. He and his Pokémon train together for hours on end before finally calling it quits on a day's work. Sometimes he just relaxes at the League, while other times I think he likes to go shopping and exploring through ALT City… he did, after all, oversee the construction of this entire city that we're driving through as we speak."_

_Max was still unconvinced. "That's not what I meant."_

_Kiawé was getting a little heated now. "Then what did you mean exactly?"_

_Max shot back. "I MEANT, what kind of Pokémon does he have?" Kiawé looked like he was about to explode, so Norman cut in and spoke. "Max! That's enough! Kiawé has been kind enough to show us around and drive us there, you don't need to ruin the day with constant badgering on the region's champion."  
_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Lance desperately scanned the sides of the massive volcano for the source of the scream, but after five minutes, he was beginning to lose all hope entirely. Finally, just as he was about to call it off, he saw something moving alongside the edge of a cliff. His eyes bulged when he saw not one moving figure, but a whole group of them! He couldn't make out who exactly they were, but he was fairly determined to find out. He yelled. "Dragonite! Go help those people get out of here!"_

_However, instead, Dragonite swooped down and plummeted straight towards the Lava Field below. Lance cried out. "DRAGONITE! WHAT ARE YOU—" He stopped yelling when he saw a rather gruesome sight. There, on a rock just above the lava, was a figure. He ordered Dragonite to land on the rock and to see the condition of the person. Lance couldn't believe someone was down here. He knew was likely must've happened. The group of people he had seen were likely tourists just wanted to get a few pictures, and when the volcano erupted, someone lost their footing, and case closed._

_Nonetheless, he still wanted to see who this person was, and so that he could take the body back to the family of the deceased. However, when he actually got a close up of the person, he nearly vomited._

_The figure was clearly male. His entire right arm was nearly melted away… presumably by an amount of Lava. Lance got on one knee to investigate the condition of him, and got a shock. The boy's skull was nearly completely broken, and yet, he was still breathing!_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_But… none of that compared to his prior disbelief when he saw none other than one Professor Samuel Oak talking with them amicably. He tried to think it was simply just coincidence; after all, this was a massive tournament, and Professor Oak could've just run into them by pure chance. Ash knew this was always a possibility. _

_But the more and more he thought about it, the more and more he was scared it was true; that Professor Oak was a certified member of the traitors. The issue? He needed to figure out some way to prove it. _

"_Ah… Ghost! Figured I'd find you up here!" A voice said. Ash turned around and was greeted by two figures. His mind nearly exploded when he recognized them. _

_Present…_

When Ash had been betrayed, he swore that he would get revenge on the ones that backstabbed him. He swore to the bottom of his heart that each and every one of them would suffer. He hated their guts with a burning passion, and for good reason. There would be no forgiveness, there would be no second chances, and there would be no mercy. There was one good thing about the tournament in Alola: He controlled _everything. _

Nothing went by without Ash knowing about it. He had spies all around Alola, keeping an eye on troublemakers. Of course, "Troublemakers", were defined by Ash specifically. No spies took orders unless they were talking directly to the Ghost. They wouldn't take it from his secretary, his Elites, nobody but him. But… he would make the traitors pay for what they had done. The moment he met his most trusted spy once again, he would have him lock onto the group of traitors and not let up until he commanded it.

But… as much as he hated to admit it, there was one person that, to this day, he still could not hate. And, as fate would have it, she happened to be standing right in front of him. His mind froze up. In the last six years, he had not seen her once. Not on TV, not with her brother or father, never. It was like she had vanished from the face of the earth. So how come she was standing here right in front of him? He had to admit, she looked fantastic. Her face had gotten even more beautiful, with her brown pigtails still running strong. Her delicate light blue dress suited her well too, showing off her impressive assets.

Meanwhile, May was standing in shock before the Ghost. To be honest, with a name like the Ghost, she was expecting someone more… well… ominous. Instead, she got a young man that looked to be exactly her age, as her father had said to the family. He was wearing a black suit and dark blue tie to go along with it. She noticed his brown hair and how it seemed to have a mind of its own. As a girl, she could tell when someone's mass of hair just wasn't cooperating; he seemed to have the problem as well. But, what stood out most of all were his dark gray eyes. Even in the moonlight, she could still see the color of them.

Suddenly, the Ghost narrowed his eyes in her direction. May gulped loudly in response. Of course, what she didn't realize that the Ghost was _not _glaring at her, but her companion who had escorted her to meet the Ghost.

Ash sent the man a death glare that could've rivaled the best leer in history. Kiawé noticed this and sweatdropped nervously. Ash didn't know why May was here to speak with the Ghost, and was clearly getting the wrong idea. If May just talked to him, everything would be sorted out easily. Kiawé spoke quickly. "I'm sure Miss Maple here has got a lot to tell you Ghost… quite a bit indeed."

May turned to Kiawé. "But wait you haven't even—" she didn't finish as Kiawé had already bolted back inside before any more questions could be asked. That left an eerie silence that neither one of the two could break. May's mind was churning rapidly.

_'Oh man. Oh Man Oh Man Ohhhhhhh Man. What am I going to say? Now that I'm actually here I just freeze up!? Come on May you didn't bother Kiawé with all that talk about finding Ghost for a "Private" reason, then not even say anything! Just talk, use your words! You know, the thing you use to communicate with people!' _She thought.

Ash's thoughts were… well… a bit different. _'That bastard. The next time I see him, I'll light him up so badly he'll be mistaken for a holiday tree. How could he possibly tell May about me!? HOW!? Oh no, she's getting ready to say something! I… What do I even say!? Kiawé should've at least warned me that May was here and trying to talk with Ash Ketchum again! She's too gorgeous… wait what? No! She betrayed me! I can't like her still!' _Ash's mind churned.

May, finally plucking up the courage, spoke first. "Gr…Greetings, Mr. Ghost. My—" She was cut off by Ash, who too had found the powerful gift of courage. He spoke huskily, though on accident. "Please. Ghost is fine."

May's cheeks turned pink at the comment, though she didn't know why, per say. She cleared her throat and spoke nervously. "L-look… I-I know you're busy with r-running… well… a region… but if y-you have t-time I was hoping you could h-help me with s-something, Ghost." The man cocked his head gently to the side, as if pondering her statement.

Meanwhile, Ash was pondering her statement, but not for the same reasons as May was led to believe. _'This is… odd… to say the least. It doesn't even sound like she's talking about me…' _Ash spoke. "Continue."

May hesitated before murmuring quietly. "A… close friend of m-mine passed away some time ago." Ash spoke softly. "I'm quite sorry to hear that. My condolences, Miss Maple, is it?" May suddenly let out a loud sob and ran towards him. Ash's mind exploded into overdrive. _'This is it. This is where she shoves me off the roof for not telling her I am alive… and to be honest, I don't regret it. She did, after all, backstab me.' _May got within feet before Ash closed his eyes and winced for the inevitable punch or blow that would wound him, possibly fatally.

But, no such fatal blow ever came. May hugged Ghost tightly, crying in his embrace. She cried for a good thirty seconds before Ash's brain recovered from its shocked state. She whimpered. "O-oh… just l-look at me! H-here I am talking to a c-champion… a-asking him for a f-favor… and… and I can't even t-tell you my name! I-I'm such a wreck!"

To her shock, the Ghost spoke. "We tend to go far and wide to help those we love. I do not believe you are a wreck, Miss Maple. You just need someone to lean on. Or perhaps someone to confide in… am I correct?"

May couldn't believe Ghost knew all of this already. She nodded slowly. "Y-yes… you're right. Well… shall I tell you about the person who I lost?" Ghost spoke. "But first… erm… what is your name?" He feigned ignorance at the moment with a curious look dancing in his eyes. She blushed a little and said shyly. "May. That's my name." Ghost smiled gently. "An elegant name for an elegant young woman." He kissed her hand and her face turned a darker shade of red.

'_Take that, flower boy.' _Ash thought cheekily. May spoke with a stutter to start. "W-well… t-thank you G-g-ghost. I-t's quite sweet of you. N-now… the person I want to talk to you about was… well… he was a really close friend of mine. It's really been shaking me up more than ever recently." Ash nodded. _'Sounds like this person really meant a lot to her. Wonder why she has to talk to me about it though, why not her parents, or even her ass of a brother? Okay scratch that, glad she hasn't confided in that nimrod.' _

"He was always so lively, so energetic. He was so entertaining to watch and to talk with. Sure… we had our moments where we couldn't stand each other. But maybe… in the end, that brought us closer together. I miss him so much… I just…" She wiped her eyes at this. "I just… wish I told sooner that I loved him."

Ash was growing increasingly jealous. Of course, she was hung up on a guy that passed away. Classic Ash Ketchum fortune. How could this get any worse?

"And… I… I still love him." She whimpered quietly.

'… _You just HAD to say it didn't you?' _Ash's mind silently cursed itself. After a moment, he spoke quietly. "I… I see. This boy, he clearly was a dou—" He cut himself off and paused to stop himself from saying what his emotions told him. He cleared his throat and spoke again, though it seemed slightly forced. "He was clearly a… _dude… _who was close friends with you." He knew it sounded so bad, but it was to save his alternate move: calling the guy a Dou-_chebag._

May gave Ghost a curious look, but, Ash was so relieved when the door creaked open from the roof, saving him from explaining just what he meant. Ash saw who was in the doorframe, and then, his face turned pale.

"PIKA PI!" A tiny mouse cried out and jumped into May's arms. _'… You have GOT to be kidding me.' _Ash groaned silently. May was laughing at Pikachu's antics. "H-hey! Th-that tickles! Watch it!" She laughed hysterically. Pikachu landed on her head and cooed happily.

"Pi Pika Pi! Piiiii Pika Pi Pikachu!" ("MAY! I can't believe it! Ash and I have missed you so much!" He cried out happily.

Ash nearly had a stroke when he heard that, and swore to get the rodent back for that slip up later. Thankfully for Ash and for Pikachu's sake, May didn't understand what Pikachu said. "What did he say?" Ash opened his mouth to come up with something believable, but then, Ash suddenly got a wicked grin on his face. "She." Both Pikachu and May turned to face him. "Pika?" "What was that?" the duo responded at the same time.

"I said, she. My Pikachu is a girl!" He said with a small smirk on his face. Pikachu's eyes bulged open in terror, knowing what Ash was doing. May immediately began rubbing her cheeks against Pikachu's cheeks cooing. "It's sooooooo cute!" Pikachu began to get more and more uncomfortable. Though May didn't see it, Pikachu saw Ash pointing at Pikachu for a moment, then, rubbing his right index finger over his left one rapidly, essentially indicating, "Shame on you."

"You know…" May murmured quietly. "He had a Pikachu too." Ash didn't really think about the statement too much as she continued. "They were inseparable, they were partners actually. They always got into mischief but loved one another to the end of time. He was with him that day where it happened."

Ghost remained silent. Ash pondered. _'Wow… that's pretty crazy. Her crush and his Pikachu both turned out dead on the same day. Wonder what happened. That's actually pretty funny now that I think about it, it almost sounds like she's talking abou—" _His mind froze entirely when he finally understood the sheer irony of the situation.

She was talking Ash about helping out with _his own _murder case! What were the chances!? But… how did May even know he was killed, and not just a case of an "Unfortunate Accident?" Plus, she had yet to say who this person was, so she couldn't give anything away just yet. He spoke calmly. "What is this boy's name?"

Ash braced himself for the inevitable answer, knowing it was coming. She whimpered quietly and spoke. "A-Ash Ketchum was his name, Ghost." Ash couldn't honestly believe it. After six years, she still claimed to love him? How could that be? He would've figured she would be attached to Drew by now. Why wasn't she? Suddenly, his mind had a breakthrough, and it wasn't a good one. _'Could she have actually been telling the truth? Could she have honestly meant she loved me?! Could she have been serious with me… did… did I see the whole situation wrong?' _

He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about that fateful day. He remembered seeing her hands on the back of Drew's head, kissing him for all that it was worth. He remembered how broken he had felt at that instant. The anger and sadness that had coursed through him during that moment and every moment he was taken back to it were painful to no end. He opened his eyes.

'…_No. I can't trust her. If I reveal myself to her, I risk more than just my cover… I risk this region. People will begin asking questions. I can't reveal myself to her. That being said… Perhaps I should help her out. She clearly doesn't know it's me… and to keep attention off myself, I should give her my full cooperation.' _Ash decided.

"I have heard of Ash Ketchum." Ghost finally spoke. May looked at him hopefully. Ghost spoke quietly. "I will admit, even I had heard of him before he was tragically… killed. His conquests were commendable, and I myself was a bit shocked when I heard what happened." He spoke quietly.

"Do… D-do you think you could investigate some people for me? P-please? I'll give you anything you n-need i-if you can help me out…" May softly said, unable to believe that Ghost looked like he was actually considering helping her. The Ghost was silent for a moment before speaking calmly. "I would like something from you, yes." She waited for the asking price, expecting every penny she owned, and to her surprise, it was nothing of the sort.

"Information. If I ask questions, can you please promise me you'll answer them with complete truth, and nothing but the complete truth, Ms. Maple?" Ash was pleased when May took a moment to ponder the decision. In the eyes of some, hesitance would be considered a bad thing. But… for Ash, it was the opposite. Should May have immediately responded, he would've suspected she was not telling the truth, or she would wing answers, which was not what he wanted. He needed to make sure he answered questions carefully and skillfully, to make sure he made no mistakes. That was, if she said yes.

It wasn't much longer before she did. "I'll do it. You have a deal." The Ghost nodded carefully and after a moment, spoke. "If I… erhm… recall correctly, Ash vanished over six years ago. And… from what I know…. He never once had a girlfriend of any sorts. If you loved him all this time, something must have happened. What happened… if I may inquire?" Ash silently cursed himself. In his mind, the question had sounded much slicker, but listening to it aloud made it sound all sorts of choppy.

May blinked. "Um… what does this have to do with investigating the people…" Ash turned a little bit pale at this. Thankfully, Pikachu made a loud cooing noise that distracted May for a short time, and that was all Ash needed to come up with the perfect excuse. "Miss Maple, it is obvious that one should not remain in love with someone that passed away for over six years if you were never even an… item. So, I want to know the reasoning behind all of this. I am not to be played for a fool. Answer the question truthfully Miss Maple, I insist." Ash spoke firmly.

May was quiet for a moment or two, making Ash sigh aloud. "Then I suppose we have no business here, good day Miss Maple." He stood up and made to leave before she suddenly spoke with a cry. "I cheated on him!" That made Ghost stop cold. He slowly turned around and May noticed the look of anger in his eyes. "You… You cheated on him? Why?"

May softly cried. "We… we told each other that we had deep feelings for the other over the video phone. We both were set up to meet with Ash's friends the following day at his home in Pallet Town. I… I got there before he did… and t-then…" She sniffed loudly and continued, her eyes shining with tears. "Another boy was there. His name was Drew. I knew him from when Ash and I travelled together in the Hoenn Region from years prior. He just came up to me and confessed his love to me, and I was thinking about Ash in that moment…"

Ghost was looking more impatient and curious right now more than anything else. "And? What did you do?" She held her head low and whimpered softly. "He… He kissed me. And… A-And I kissed him back. I just…" She began crying. "I was thinking of Ash and what it would feel like if _he _kissed me the way Drew was. I entirely forgot that I was kissing a boy I didn't even like… and at that exact moment, Ash found us. H-he told me to leave and n-never come back… The n-next day… he… he…" She burst out in tears and collapsed.

Ash's mind was in turmoil. _'Is that really the truth though? From what I know, that is all very accurate… expect of course for the part with Captain Rose Petal. I don't think I can believe it… it sounds so… Farfetched.' __**(AN: HAH GOT EM) **_

Ghost spoke softly. "I see. You never got to tell him the truth… or he didn't believe it." May whimpered. "Do you think he really would've believed me if I told him I forgot I was kissing a different boy?"

'_That's fair. I wouldn't have bought it then, and I still don't buy it now.'_

Ghost nodded. "I understand." May suddenly spoke tearfully. "Do you believe me, Ghost? Do you believe it?" Ash silently cursed his foul fortunate for the third time in the last ten minutes… or was it fourth? It didn't matter. "It doesn't matter what I think, Miss Maple. I have a job to do, hence, I will do it, regardless of what I believe, so long as it for the greater good. Now, my second question… What do you believe really happened to Ash, and how do you know this?" Ghost spoke with sternness.

May quietly said. "What I belie—What I _know _happened, is that some of Ash's so called friends drugged him, took him on a ride to Mt. Molteau in Kalos, made up the story about saving Moltres when he woke up from his drugs, and then killed him."

Ash pushed the issue. "What would possibly be the motive for that?" 

May hesitated before speaking quietly. "I don't know the exact reason, but, I know it has something to do with the Pokémon Professor in Kanto. His name is Professor Samuel Oak, but everyone just calls him Professor Oak."

Ash couldn't believe it. The person who gave him Pikachu wanted to kill him? Why? It didn't make sense. But, at least now he could tell Lance to keep his scope on one more person. Still, without solid evidence, they would be stupid to try and prosecute Oak or any of the traitors. They had to lie low for now.

"You're telling me a Pokémon professor, likely the one who _gave _Ash his starting Pokémon, had a hand into his death? What is the motivation? Hell, where's the proof he had anything to do with this?" Ghost ranted. May screamed a little. "BECAUSE I OVERHEARD MY BROTHER TALKING ABOUT IT!" She covered her mouth a little, a bit mortified she had just yelled at a champion. However, Ghost didn't appear to be mad. He did, however, speak.

"Your… your brother? That means… your brother killed Ash?" She shook her head. "Yes… no… ugh, I don't know! What I do know is that it was a large group of Ash's old friends that ganged up on him and tossed him into the volcano. I only overheard that! I didn't hear any kind of motivation for killing him either, they were like brothers! I don't know why my brother would want to kill Ash!" May squeaked.

Ash spoke with authority. "I need to know the rest of the people that were involved in the incident. Anyone you suspect I shall investigate."

May and Ash talked about the incident for another half hour or so before May finally let herself go back downstairs, but not before getting the Ghost's contact information on her Pokégear. Ghost asked her to give him to before he would be able to uncover any worthwhile information. He did, however, have a plan to get it. He took out his phone (Pokégear) and dialed a number. After a moment of ringing, a voice was heard.

"_Ah, well hello boss. How can we be of service?" _the man on the other side spoke. Ash spoke quietly. "I need to speak with you all. Come to the top of TPS and be here in one hour, no more. It's urgent."

_"Of course Boss. We'll be there shortly." _The line was cut off after that statement. Ash silently pondered his next move. He knew what he was going to ask _them _to do… the catch was actually executing it. Even for spies of their caliber, he had learned one thing with spying: It was never easy, and most of the time, it never came without a hefty price, one way or another.

_TPS 4__th__ Floor… Battlefield…_

The four elites currently found themselves watching a rather heated battle. There was a redheaded male on their right and a blonde haired boy on their left. The redhead shouted. "Alright Typhlosion, use Lava Plume!"

The blonde shouted. "Empoleon, cut through it with Hydro Pump!" As the two attacks clashed for dominance in the middle of the battlefield, a thick barrage of steam emerged from the two attacks. Axel commented. "Both of them are thinking too much with the present and not with the future." Xavier gave him a look and Axel sweatdropped and explained further. "I mean, look at their attack choices. Neither one of them is simply evading while using a move that helps with status conditions or attack power or anything. It's just strength on strength in this case, hope every battle isn't like this. It'll be too easy."

July was leaning up against a wall, curiosity dancing in her green eyes. "A little Pidgey told me that you met Malva of the Kalos Elite Four Xavier… that true?" The other two elites turned to see Xavier smirk. "So what if it is? Hey, she's got a great body, let me tell you—" Xavier felt his head spin as Zandra slapped him. "That's beside the point, lover boy!"

Axel commented. "Hey he's not wrong th—" _SMACK._

Zandra was glaring at him and Axel rubbed his cheek muttering. "Perhaps I deserved that one." July spoke quietly. "Look, you know why it's risky being affiliated with Malva, Xavier. She _was _once a member of Team Flare after all."

Xavier waved his hand dismissingly. "That was six years ago. The odds of her still being one of those absolute creeps isn't that high after all, you have to admit that."

Zandra countered. "And _you _have to admit that if you continue to chat it up with her without telling one Ash Ketchum, you'll have to answer to him… and that won't be pretty. No more girls will flock around your pretty face if you don't have a face to flock around." Xavier grimaced at the thought of Ash removing his face by force. "You have a point."

"Well well well… if it isn't the Alola Elites." A voice said. The group turned and was met by two young men. One had light blonde hair and was wearing a white tuxedo that nearly made him the same color as his hair. He wore rather nerdy looking glasses and bright blue eyes. His companion had spiky brown hair and unrecognizable eyes. He was much taller than his companion, probably by a good foot. He was wearing a black suit with a black tie to match it. He had a plain look on his face that matched the other boy.

There was silence from the two groups for a moment or two. Nobody dared to make a move for some odd reason. After another moment, they exclaimed at the same time. "HEYYYY!" They then all began greeting one another with handshakes and hugs all around. Zandra grinned. "It's good to see some friendly faces!"

Axel added. "How are you, Brock, Clemont?"

Brock cheerfully said. "Looking forward to being here. I may not be participating, but I'm still here to help as a Pokémon Doctor and in any way I possibly can!" Clemont looked around.

"Well, I see four of you. Where is As… Ghost?" Brock chuckled softly at Clemont nearly goofing up in a big way. Both Clemont and Brock were aware of the Ghost's true identity. Truth be told, Clemont had given Sophocles some great ideas for inventions, and Sophocles had aided Clemont in how to _safely _build inventions.

After a year or so, Ash had decided to reveal to Clemont that he was indeed still alive. He only did so because he had found out the cold hard truth about… well… **(AN: Gimme like a 1,000 words… It will explain itself.) **Clemont had reacted as Ash would've had Ash just found out that Clemont had been alive all this time: Hugging him for dear life and insisting to know about everything. Clemont was stunned the traitors would do such a thing. He was glad that… **(AN: Never mind. You know the drill.) **

Brock had been the one that Lance had flown Ash to when Ash was desperate to heal. When Lance had told Brock that Ash wanted nobody to know he was present, Brock insisted Lance stay as well to hear why. Of course, that's all part of the flashback that… **(AN: I'll be including later in the story.) **Brock had mastered himself in becoming a Pokémon doctor, and was called upon for the most odd of reasons. He only saw Ash every so often, as, of course, both of them found themselves busier than ever before.

Now, however, both he and Clemont found themselves searching for their longtime friend and ally. Both were beyond happy that he was champion, and proud of his success. Clemont spoke curiously. "So you don't know where Ash is then?"

Xavier shrugged. "Nah, he's around here somewhere though. Besides, I'm more interested in you Clemont, were you ever gonna tell us that you got yourself a nice babe of a girlfriend? No? Not gonna say anything about dating Korrina?" That got everyone's attention. _"HUH!?" _Everyone shouted at once. They all looked to Clemont, expecting to see a confused look on his face.

That was not what they got.

Clemont was laughing nervously, rubbing his finger under the bridge of his nose with a small grin on his face. "Well, I'm dating her. We've been dating for about a year now." That got a whoop from Axel and Brock, who cheerfully smacked Clemont on the back for finally getting into the game. Zandra was bombarding him with questions while July and Xavier just watched with grins on their faces.

"Big Brother? Oh My Gosh! Big Brother!" A loud voice was heard.

The entire group stopped what they were doing when a young blonde girl probably about fifteen years old ran up to him and hugged him tightly. However, as she did so, she slammed Zandra out of the way and knocked her to the floor. The girl cooed. "Big Brother! You're here to cheer me on! That's so sweet of you! You should've said you were coming!" Clemont frowned at the girl, who was indeed his little sister, Bonnie.

At an early age, the two had become inseparable, growing very close. That all changed when Clemont met Korrina. The two grew close together and Clemont, who was a gym leader like her, began to develop feelings for her. That was when Bonnie struck. No longer was she the little girl who tried to hook Clemont up with other girls, she wanted to keep them away from her elder brother! She drove Korrina away by feeding her false information. When Clemont found out, he was utterly furious with his sister.

They drifted apart, and she found someone to love instead. And, of course, instead of being angry at her, he accepted the boy… at first. It was only then that Clemont saw how toxic the boy was, and just how much he despised him. He declared that Bonnie should break up with him, and in retaliation, she left him for good. That was three years ago, around the same time as Ash became champion. The next four months were the roughest. He had very little to hold him up, and no friends to support him either.

That changed after a man called the Ghost contacted him about helping him with idea's for a fabulous city in the Alola region. It gave Clemont something to do, and he got two friends out of it: Ghost and a boy named Sophocles, who became great friends with the inventor. Shortly after, Ash revealed himself to Clemont, who was beyond happy to find that his friend was alive and well.

Then, he found out what Bonnie did to Ash, and was crushed. But, it didn't matter. She had acted poorly in front of Clemont for far too long. He swore he would never accept her as a family member ever again for what she did to him, Korrina, and especially, Ash.

Clemont pushed her away. "You don't get to call me that."

Bonnie looked confused. "But big brother, it's been—"

Clemont spat. "Three years. Yeah, I know. And I would've been fine with another twenty. What happened to "I never want you in my life again", huh?"

Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You take life too seriously." She noticed Zandra sitting on the ground and said with annoyance. "Get up. I may trip on you." Axel got a little angry at that statement. "Maybe I'll knock you down a peg or two." Bonnie laughed at him. "Ooooohhh a hothead huh? Clemont, why are you hanging around these people? Oh wait, they do suit you: just as stupid and just as pathetic."

Clemont clenched his fists, how dare she speak about his friends that way? He snarled. "Bonnie, leave now. I won't ask you again." Bonnie made a mock-pouting face. "Ohhh? Or what? You're gonna spank me?" The next thing she knew, Bonnie was sent flying throughout the room and landed on the battlefield, which conveniently, was now vacant. She looked up and looked shock to see Xavier walking towards her with a glint in his eyes.

"You wanna bet?" He said with a carnal smirk. The next thing Xavier knew, another young boy who looked exactly the same age as Bonnie but with dark tealish hair that was spiked up in multiple spots was blocking him off. "Hey! Stay away from my girlfriend you ass!"

Xavier looked at the kid with a bored glance. "Kid, get out of my way. Your _ass _of a girlfriend had the common decency to knock one of my friends over, insult her, then _all _of my friends. If you don't let me kick her ass in Pokémon battle then I'll be kicking _both _of your asses in a Pokémon battle, _got it_? So shut the hell up and get out of my way!" By now, a crowd had begun to form.

Max Maple looked defiant. "Hah! You think you can beat me?! The future winner of this tournament? You must be as bad as you look!"

July commented aloud. "If he's bad then what exactly are you?" The now growing crowd began laughing hysterically at the comment, including Xavier and the rest of the elites. The next thing July knew, someone had punched her in the jaw. A heated redhead had tried her best to knock out the gorgeous girl, and landed a firm punch. Pandemonium ensued from there. Screams and yelling could be heard all over the floor as panic began to rise on the battlefield.

_Rooftop of TPS… About Fifteen Minutes Prior…_

Ash found himself staring down at the lights on all of the buildings. With nothing to do but wait for his spies to arrive, there seemed like nothing else better to do. He was counting them quietly under his breath. 

"Ninety-Eight… Ninety-Nine…" He murmured.

"ONE HUNDRED!" A voice cried out.

Ash turned and saw three figures standing there. Two appeared to be the same height, opposite gender, while one was much shorter than the other.

"One Hundred Lights that's quite a lot." The girl said while posing.

"If you're looking to battle we're just as hot!" The man said doing a similar pose.

"To protect the world from devastation."

"To unite our people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evil of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

The girl pointed to the sky. "It's Jessie!"

The man put a blue rose gently under his nose and said quietly. "And James."

The shorter figure said cheerfully. "Annddddd Meowth and that's the name!"

Jessie punched the sky. "Putting the traitors in their place!" James cried out. "We're the Spies of Alola!" Then, they all jumped together and said loudly. "And we're in your face!" Ash burst out laughing and began clapping as soon as the song ended. James took a bow. "How was that twerp?"

Ash laughed. "It gets me every time!" He shook hands with James with a grin. "It's good to see you again. How's—" He began before James said happily. "He's doing great, all thanks to you twerp!" Jessie hugged Ash tightly. "What you did to help my performances in Sinnoh was _amazing!_" Ash smiled. "I figured after seeing some of Dawn's tactics, maybe you could put them to even better use than she ever could."

Ash got down on one knee to do his secret handshake with Meowth, who executed it to perfection. "How's it going Meowth?"

"Great, ya dig? My Pokémon moves are stronger than ever! Thanks for that training session twerp!" He said cheerfully. Ash clapped his hands once. "I'm glad you guys are doing well! Really, I mean it!"

James turned serious. "But, I don't think we were called here to merely catch up. How can we be of assistance… boss?"

Ash grinned a little. Their days of being aligned with Rocket were long behind them. They had left around 3 years prior… the day Ash became champion. It was all because Ash wanted to hire them as spies. He knew that with the knowledge they acquired from previous regions, they could prove very useful. But, unlike Giovanni, he treated his finest spies with the respect they deserved.

Ash had given them something all very special. For James, he had gotten back James' old Pokémon, Growlie the Growlithe. He then gifted James a fire stone, which gave Growlithe the ability to evolve. Ash was faintly sure that James cried on his shoulder for a good five minutes before finally calming down. Watching James reunite with the Pokémon he grew up with was fascinating and heartwarming. A short time later, Growlie evolved, and the two were still together.

For Jessie, Ash understood that he didn't _always _need his top spies. So, he paid them well, and told Jessie and the others to live their lives when they weren't on missions. He taught Jessie secret battling tactics to help her win contests in Sinnoh and other regions. She had become a top coordinator named Jessilina, but, her fans called her Jessilina the Great. She too had been moved to tears when Ash had helped her become where she was today. The trio were currently travelling the Kanto Region for James to collect Gym Badges.

Meowth was the last to receive a gift. It was a special thing: A Meowth Z-Crystal. But that wasn't it. Ash gave Jessie and James Z-Rings so that Meowth could use Z-Moves. He also took Meowth in for a month and gave him private training lessons against his most dominant Pokémon to help Meowth become stronger, faster, and more powerful. Meowth walked in fairly strong, but he walked out a powerhouse. Meowth participated in both Jessie's contests and James' Gym battles, and with their Z-Moves, they were all but unbeatable.

All in all, Ash treated them well, and they treated him well back. Although Ash didn't always require their help, whenever he asked for them, they were always there in an instant. They were his finest spies, and he only called on them for the most important things.

"I have the mission you all have been asking for since the day you knew I was alive. You know… _the _mission." Jessie's eyes widened a little. "You… you mean…" Ash nodded with a smirk on his face. "Yep… it's time we took action against the traitors."

James cracked his knuckles. "About time. I've been waiting to get a go at them! I've already clobbered the tiny Maple Twerp in battle twice, but a third time for good measure is just what I need!"

Ash nodded. "In that case, James, why don't you spy on Bonnie, Max, and Serena? Those three are very close together, so I guess it makes sense."

James made a face. "I saw the Maple twerp attempting to hold the backside of the blonde twerpette. That was something I wish I had not seen at all."

Ash looked at Jessie. "Jessilina the Great…" Jessie grinned widely at the nickname. "… I think the douchebag squad will do. That's Misty, Dawn, Trip, and Cilan." Jessie commented. "Aren't the green haired twerp and the other one a pair as well? Shall I investigate the quartet plus one more?" Ash nodded. "Forgot about the little kid. Go ahead."

He looked at Meowth. "Alrighty Meowth… you ready for this? I got the biggest assignment for you." Meowth nodded and looked prepared. "You need to investigate Professor Oak and…" He could believe he was saying this. "… My Mom." Meowth's jaw dropped wide open. "Wha… Twerp… you can't possibly think ya own mother would—"

Ash had a faraway look in his eyes. "I keep thinking about that day… why did my mom not put a stop to what they did… why did she not mourn me? Why… why this why that? Why?" He looked at Meowth. "I don't know what you'll find… but anything matters at this point. Whether you find out battle information or weakness' or information on the betrayal… it doesn't matter to me. All information is good information."

Jessie nodded. "I hope you know twerp… this could take a while."

Meowth nodded. "I gotta go to Kanto to talk to the twerps mom!" James suddenly said. "My Viridian Gym battle is not too far from there!" He looked at Meowth. "Perhaps I'll join you and provide you with assistance!" Ash nodded. "Do whatever you guys want! However… if you could get it all done in a week's time… that would be ideal."

Then, below him, he heard a commotion begin. What was going on down there? Ash turned away and froze for a moment, fearing the worst. He snapped out of it and spoke. "Well the best of lu—" He froze as he saw all three former Rocket members were now gone from the roof entirely. He chuckled softly. _'Same old Rocket.' _He thought.

_TPS Fourth Floor… Battlefield…_

The floor was a madhouse. Since Misty had thrown the first punch, it had only started a trend: being the first of many. Axel was desperately attempting to restrain a livid Xavier from ripping Max to shreds. Xavier was screaming at Max. "HUH!? YOU WANNA FUCKING GO LITTLE MAN? GOTTA GET YOUR DIAPER CHANGED FIRST?"

Max was attempting to rush Xavier and yelled back. "Let's Go, you ass!"

July was still attempting to recover from the punch Misty had thrown at her, and Zandra was currently strangling Misty on the ground, with both Dawn and Trip on her arms. Other people were fighting and throwing punches at one another in all of the commotion: It had gone from a party to a fight house. 

"EEEENNNNOOOOUUUUGGGGGHHHHHH!" A voice bellowed. The entire room froze. All the elites paled considerably at the voice, more than anyone else in the room; They knew who the voice belonged to. The people suddenly began parting out of the way with shocked looks on their faces. There, standing in front of a doorway and facing the crowd, was a young man. He was no longer sporting a dress suit, but wearing his usual red vest and red cap. His spiky brown hair and right arm brace could be clearly seen by everyone. He was wearing red shoes and dark jeans.

He walked slowly through the crowd, only eyeing one particular fight. The crowd continued to part for the man. Max whispered to his dad, who was holding him back, "Dad… who is that…" His father, however, didn't respond, as the man walked up to Xavier and Max and looked at them both critically. He then turned to July and Zandra, who both looked guilty. Axel held up his hands in surrender when the man eyed him up.

Finally, he spoke. "I expected better from you all." He shook his head and began to walk away. Xavier bit his lip nervously, and Axel looked guilty. July grit her teeth together fiercely and Zandra refused to meet anyone's eyes. Everything looked normal other than that, but of course, Max being Max, spoke up. "Hey! Who the hell do you think you are?"

The man froze. He slowly turned around and quietly said. "I'm just a trainer." He then went to keep walking before Max said. "You're all talk! All bravado over here and no proof to back it up! Why the hell should we listen to your sorry ass!?"

Max expected others to rally around him, but for some reason, the man who he was just fighting appeared even more scared than before. When Max turned back around, he nearly pissed himself. The man was looking right at him, mere inches away.

"Now let's get this straight. You should be thrown in jail along with your friends here. You were attempted to fight someone else, therefore, attempted assault. That is enough time to be put in jail for you to miss the tournament. You fight for the sake of fighting; therefore, you show off. You don't try to end fights, you cause them. As a result, you are a liability, not an asset. All in all… I know one thing, and one thing only." He nodded slowly before saying as calmly as he could.

"You are a loser." Everyone gasped at how direct the man was to Max. Of course, Max's face was as red as a tomato by this point in time. He narrowed his eyes and Bonnie, who had decided to defend her boyfriend, cried out. "Hey! Shut your mouth! Max is three times the trainer you are!"

The man smirked. "Listen up, looks-for-brains, nobody gives a flying fuck about your input. Butt the fuck out and go be useful somewhere else." Xavier stifled a chuckle and the man whirled on him, anger in his eyes. "We have plenty to discuss later, keep your trap shut." Xavier paled and then turned a bright red right after.

"You're the loser! Beat me in a battle and I'll admit it to everyone! If I win, you do the same!" Max said boastfully. There was no way this guy would do it! To his surprise, however, the trainer said calmly. "I accept. The rules are a one on one battle with no items allowed." He then walked to the side furthest from Max, who nervously took the nearest side.

Everyone was now gathered around the battlefield to watch the one shrimpy guy in a suit against the only guy in the entire party who _wasn't _in a suit. A man had decided to hop up on the podium to become the referee. "This is a battle between two challengers. One on One, obviously, with no substitutions. No items are permitted. Challengers, please state your name and title!" He raised his flag to Max first, who spoke confidently.

"Max Maple, Son of Gym Leader Norman Maple, and Future Victor of this Tournament!" He said arrogantly. Bonnie cheered while other people frowned at the boy's confidence. Norman, meanwhile, facepalmed. Max forgot that all these people who were watching were likely his _competition._

"And you?" He raised his flag to the other challenger, who stayed quiet. The referee waited before saying again impatiently. "Sir? Please announce your name?"

When the challenger didn't say anything, the referee spoke loudly. "By referee's ruling, the match has been—" Then, the challenger spoke softly. The referee turned to the challenger's voice and said. "Excuse me? Could you say that louder? For all of us to hear?" The man stayed quiet before speaking huskily.

"The Ghost… Champion of Alola."

The crowd gasped loudly in disbelief. Norman's eyes widened in horror. Max, meanwhile, was quite the case. He had managed to avoid taking a leak prior. That was not the case now. He was completely pale at the point, with his entire body pale, with the lone exception of the yellow liquid trickling down his pant leg. He didn't move a muscle.

'_This is gonna be fun.' _Ash thought with a sinister smirk plastered on his face. _'Very fun indeed.'_

**AN: Well Folks… guess what? It's my longest chapter I've **_**ever **_**typed in fanfiction! That's right, this was an absolute **_**project **_**for me to type up! But, I think I hit on every major point I wanted to get this chapter, so that's a relief. Still, I didn't think it would nearly smash 9,000 words! But, here we are I guess lol.**

**So… points to hit: May and Ash… when will they get back together… if at all? The old team Rocket owes their lives to Ash when it comes down to the wire, and they turned out to be Ash's most trusted spies. The question is: what kind of information will they return with? And finally, the moment everyone has been waiting for, Ash vs Max, the first battle of the story. That one is bound to be a good one, so make sure you stick around to read it!**

**If you guys are new, follow and favorite the story! It means everything to me guys If you'd like, follow and favorite me as well! If not, that works too! If you guys liked the chapter, or hell, even hated it, write a review or PM and give me your feedback! I always read feedback guys, even if it's a guest who I can't respond to, I always see it!**

**Guys… I think that's all I've got. Hope you guys liked it, and until next time!**

**LegionZ**


	6. Untapped Potential

**Hey Guys! Welcome back to the story! LegionZ here bringing ya'll the much anticipated chapter 6 to the Chosen One's Wrath! If you all are new, I urge you to favorite and follow the story. It would honestly mean a lot to me if y'all could show the support to the fanfiction! (More on this in a second) In addition, let me know what you guys think in the comments (reviews) down below as well! Criticism is accepted guys, just saying lol.**

**Now let's talk about what I just mentioned. I wanted to say thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with the story, and to be frank, I'm kinda in awe about how fast this story is growing in terms of popularity. So many people have already followed it! My last story, The LOS Chronicles, when it was on my old account, it didn't have this many followers and favorites in the years that it was up! To see this many people flock towards this fanfiction, it may make me reconsider if I even will type up the sequel to the LOS Chronicles… because nobody really seemed to enjoy it. (And it took me forever to type)**

**I type for you all out there who are craving some Pokémon betrayal fanfictions (and other things.) So honestly, I may have to decide what my next story is prematurely. Then again, it's not the smartest of moves. I have a long ways to go on this story, so I should most definitely work on this one first before I decide to post another one. But, what I'm trying to say guys, is thanks! I'm so happy I'm getting as much positive feedback as I am for this story, and I hope that it's just the beginning. **

**(I'm adding this portion for a reason. I usually don't do this, but a guest gave me a really good idea: using stage one Pokémon to embarrass the traitors. Now, I've already finished typing up the battle scene, so I can't go back and rechange it, but I wanted to thank 'JustAGuest' for giving me that idea. I think I will end up doing that later in the story! Thanks so much for the idea homie! ****)**

**Something else that I wanted to hit before I begin typing: Post dates for the next few weeks. I always try to post once a week, but as you all know, those dates can sometimes be extended if it's not ready, or I catch a mistake, or I'm busy, etc. These upcoming weeks will be very hectic for me for multiple reasons. For one, I have a lot of work to do. However, the biggest reason that I may fall behind is simply because I am going on a vacation to Texas! Yeahhhhh I know! For me, that's essentially travelling halfway across the US (I live on the East Coast) so typing is going to be scarce if not inexistent while I'm there. Then, when I get back, I go to NYC! Sooooo… it's going to be a busy time for me.**

**That's why, for the first time in this story, I am going to attempt to pretype chapters in order to stay ahead of the game. If I do not post on my regular dates, that is likely why. Just wanted to give ya'll the heads up. That's all to say folks, enjoy the massac… I mean battle with Max and Ash. **

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 6**

_Last Chapter…_

"_You know…" May murmured quietly. "He had a Pikachu too." Ash didn't really think about the statement too much as she continued. "They were inseparable, they were partners actually. They always got into mischief but loved one another to the end of time. He was with him that day where it happened."_

_Ghost remained silent. Ash pondered. 'Wow… that's pretty crazy. Her crush and his Pikachu both turned out dead on the same day. Wonder what happened. That's actually pretty funny now that I think about it, it almost sounds like she's talking abou—" His mind froze entirely when he finally understood the sheer irony of the situation. _

_She was talking Ash about helping out with his own murder case! What were the chances!? But… how did May even know he was killed, and not just a case of an "Unfortunate Accident?" Plus, she had yet to say who this person was, so she couldn't give anything away just yet. He spoke calmly. "What is this boy's name?"_

_Ash braced himself for the inevitable answer, knowing it was coming. She whimpered quietly and spoke. "A-Ash Ketchum was his name, Ghost." Ash couldn't honestly believe it. After six years, she still claimed to love him? How could that be? He would've figured she would be attached to Drew by now. Why wasn't she? Suddenly, his mind had a breakthrough, and it wasn't a good one. 'Could she have actually been telling the truth? Could she have honestly meant she loved me?! Could she have been serious with me… did… did I see the whole situation wrong?' _

_He closed his eyes for a moment, thinking about that fateful day. He remembered seeing her hands on the back of Drew's head, kissing him for all that it was worth. He remembered how broken he had felt at that instant. The anger and sadness that had coursed through him during that moment and every moment he was taken back to it were painful to no end. He opened his eyes. _

'…_No. I can't trust her. If I reveal myself to her, I risk more than just my cover… I risk this region. People will begin asking questions. I can't reveal myself to her._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_I have the mission you all have been asking for since the day you knew I was alive. You know… the mission." Jessie's eyes widened a little. "You… you mean…" Ash nodded with a smirk on his face. "Yep… it's time we took action against the traitors."_

_James cracked his knuckles. "About time. I've been waiting to get a go at them! I've already clobbered the tiny Maple Twerp in battle twice, but a third time for good measure is just what I need!"_

_Ash nodded. "In that case, James, why don't you spy on Bonnie, Max, and Serena? Those three are very close together, so I guess it makes sense."_

_James made a face. "I saw the Maple twerp attempting to hold the backside of the blonde twerpette. That was something I wish I had not seen at all."_

_Ash looked at Jessie. "Jessilina the Great…" Jessie grinned widely at the nickname. "… I think the douchebag squad will do. That's Misty, Dawn, Trip, and Cilan." Jessie commented. "Aren't the green haired twerp and the other one a pair as well? Shall I investigate the quartet plus one more?" Ash nodded. "Forgot about the little kid. Go ahead." _

_He looked at Meowth. "Alrighty Meowth… you ready for this? I got the biggest assignment for you." Meowth nodded and looked prepared. "You need to investigate Professor Oak and…" He could believe he was saying this. "… My Mom." Meowth's jaw dropped wide open. "Wha… Twerp… you can't possibly think ya own mother would—"_

_Ash had a faraway look in his eyes. "I keep thinking about that day… why did my mom not put a stop to what they did… why did she not mourn me? Why… why this why that? Why?" He looked at Meowth. "I don't know what you'll find… but anything matters at this point. Whether you find out battle information or weakness' or information on the betrayal… it doesn't matter to me. All information is good information."_

_Jessie nodded. "I hope you know twerp… this could take a while."_

_Meowth nodded. "I gotta go to Kanto to talk to the twerps mom!" James suddenly said. "My Viridian Gym battle is not too far from there!" He looked at Meowth. "Perhaps I'll join you and provide you with assistance!" Ash nodded. "Do whatever you guys want! However… if you could get it all done in a week's time… that would be ideal." _

_Then, below him, he heard a commotion begin. What was going on down there? Ash turned away and froze for a moment, fearing the worst. He snapped out of it and spoke. "Well the best of lu—" He froze as he saw all three former Rocket members were now gone from the roof entirely. He chuckled softly. 'Same old Rocket.' He thought._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Everyone was now gathered around the battlefield to watch the one shrimpy guy in a suit against the only guy in the entire party who wasn't in a suit. A man had decided to hop up on the podium to become the referee. "This is a battle between two challengers. One on One, obviously, with no substitutions. No items are permitted. Challengers, please state your name and title!" He raised his flag to Max first, who spoke confidently._

"_Max Maple, Son of Gym Leader Norman Maple, and Future Victor of this Tournament!" He said arrogantly. Bonnie cheered while other people frowned at the boy's confidence. Norman, meanwhile, facepalmed. Max forgot that all these people who were watching were likely his competition._

"_And you?" He raised his flag to the other challenger, who stayed quiet. The referee waited before saying again impatiently. "Sir? Please announce your name?"  
_

_When the challenger didn't say anything, the referee spoke loudly. "By referee's ruling, the match has been—" Then, the challenger spoke softly. The referee turned to the challenger's voice and said. "Excuse me? Could you say that louder? For all of us to hear?" The man stayed quiet before speaking huskily._

"_The Ghost… Champion of Alola."_

_The crowd gasped loudly in disbelief. Norman's eyes widened in horror. Max, meanwhile, was quite the case. He had managed to avoid taking a leak prior. That was not the case now. He was completely pale at the point, with his entire body pale, with the lone exception of the yellow liquid trickling down his pant leg. He didn't move a muscle. _

'_This is gonna be fun.' Ash thought with a sinister smirk plastered on his face. 'Very fun indeed.'_

_Present…_

Norman was generally a calm man. He tried to stay focused and not become swayed by emotions. His son was the opposite. He always got into trouble. As of recently, he was making more mistakes than usual. When his friend Ash Ketchum had passed away due a, "Tragic Accident", as Max had put it, Norman regretted that he let Max get away with some things that were frowned upon by everyone else. He just assumed it was Max trying to get over the incident of what had happened.

He knew Max made mistakes, and he also knew mistakes could be remedied. After all, everyone made mistakes, so you just had to move past them.

However, watching his son stand opposite to the most powerful trainer in the region, and arguably in the world, he knew he had to try to get his son out of this jam. Max looked confident on the outside after getting into a battle stance, but on the inside (and on the inside of his pant leg, literally) he knew it was a different story. He knew just how badly Max was feeling at the moment. And what was worse, was that Norman could do nothing about it. If he attempted to intervene, both he and Max would be scorned. Since they were on the Ghost's land, there was nothing they could do.

Well, nothing they could do that didn't involve Max battling the Ghost.

The referee announced. "Trainers! Show your Pokémon at the same time, on my cue! Ready…Set…"

Max nervously gripped his pokeball while standing in a poised motion, while the Ghost didn't move a muscle on the opposing side of the field. The referee yelled loudly. "Show!" Max yelled loudly. "Let's go Manectric!" The Ghost spoke quietly. "I need your assistance." A blue and yellow creature roared as it took the field on Max's side, while a green creature with bladed arms and a leafy tail took Ghost's side. The yellow bulbs on its back made its identity known.

"Sccceeeppptttillleeeee!" It roared as it took the field. Ash smirked at Max's awed look. He could tell he had every advantage here; it was time to exploit thus advantage. The referee yelled. "For Max, Manectric, for Ghost, Sceptile! READY? BATTLE BEGIN!"

Max yelled. "Manectric, let's get things going! Use Bite!" Manectric rushed Sceptile, its mouth open wide. Ash ordered. "Avoid it!" Sceptile spun out of the way, and Manectric clamped it's jaws down on nothing but cool air. Max frowned; that Sceptile was clearly fast and agile. "Manectric, use Thunderbolt!"

Manectric jumped up off its paws and roared as it unleashed a massive, jagged lightning bolt. Ash frowned as the bolt of lightning connected with Sceptile, making it gasp in pain. Ash ordered loudly. "Sceptile, use Work Up!"

Max scratched his head in confusion, why wasn't Ghost attacking? Did Sceptile not know any powerful moves, or any super effective ones? That had to be it! If he was the champion, he wouldn't attack until he was ready, and that meant his lane to open fire on Sceptile was clear! He could already see himself humiliating the champion right there on his own terrain! The girls, the fame, the glory! He suddenly backtracked and thought. _'Gotta watch my girl thoughts around Bonnie.' _

He shook his head and yelled. "Use Electric Terrain into a Thunder Fang!" Manectric howled as an Electric Terrain took the field, then rushed Sceptile. _'Clearly, he didn't use Electric Terrain to prevent Pokémon from falling asleep… it's to boost Electric type moves.' _Ash's mind churned. He knew what he was doing… but everyone else sure wouldn't.

"Sceptile, evade and use Work Up!"

Sceptile hurtled over Manectric and began charging up his attack and special attack once more. Max saw an opportunity though. "Thunderbolt!" Manectric stopped its current course and unloaded a massive thunderbolt into a helpless Sceptile, who could do nothing except get fried by the move. The people in the crowd were whispering in shock… could someone actually be defeating the champion?

Max was getting overconfident. "Charge in with Thunder Fang!" Ash simply ordered. "Evade."

Sceptile was gone in an instant, and Manectric stopped charging forward. Ash called out. "Work Up!" Max countered. "MAX POWER THUNDERBOLT!" As Sceptile once more boosted its stats, Manectric let out a mighty roar. Giving into every last ounce of energy it could use at the moment, it unleashed a torrent of electricity at the grass-type. The crowd gasped when it connected with Sceptile, and everyone covered their eyes from the massive blast.

To everyone's surprise, when the light died down, Sceptile was wincing, but still standing. Max was impressed. "Good Stamina, but it's nothing compared to my Pokémon! Time to unleash our secret move Manectric! Use Fire Fang!"

Manectric howled as its mouth caught on fire. It then charged Sceptile, who was panting from taking so much abuse. Ash yelled. "Roll Left!" Sceptile did as it was told, and did a barrel roll to its left side, and Manectric once more couldn't hit it. He cried out. "Quickly! Work Up!" Sceptile once boosted its attack and special attack. Max yelled. "Hit it with Fire Fang, and don't give up till you do!"

Ash grimaced as Fire Fang connected after three misses, and sent Sceptile out in an explosion. The crowd behind Max was stunned, this kid was actually beating a champion? Something wasn't adding up!

Zandra murmured quietly to July. "What is he doing? He hasn't even ordered a single attack yet! Why is he not, you know, fighting back? Does he want to lose?" July, however, had a smile on her face. "No… this is exactly what Ash wants."

Axel, who had heard her, said in confusion. "Huh?"

Meanwhile, back on the field, Max was boasting loudly. "Hah! You're the champion of this pathetic region? Your Pokémon is doing nothing but getting attacked and taking damage! I told you I was gonna take this tournament from you nobodies!" Those native from Alola began booing him loudly and a chant began. "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!" Ash waved his hand to the crowd to silence them.

Ash calmly said. "Tell me something, Max. You seem very confident in your own abelites… is that so?"

Max laughed. "Uh… Yeah? You're doing nothing but sucking right now! Some champion you are! You don't even have the balls to meet my Pokémon's attacks head on! Look at your Sceptile! He's just as worthless as you! You need to boost your stats to win! How does it feel to finally get knocked down a peg?"

Everyone was stunned to hear someone talk to the champion with such little respect, going as far enough to insult them to the maximum extent. The crowd was expecting a blowup from Ghost. But, to everyone's shock, Ghost started laughing. He wiped an imaginary tear from his eye and kept laughing. Max growled. "Hey! What's so funny!?"

Ghost chuckled. "Oh, just you! You think you actually have the upper hand in this battle? Hah! That's grand!" The audience began looking at one another in confusion, because, yes, Max did have the upper hand… at the moment.

Max laughed. "Oh yeah? How is this not going to plan, exactly?"

Ghost, however, smirked. "Oh… you know… just this." He snapped his fingers, and the entire room lit up in a torrent of green. Sceptile slowly arose to its feet and glowed brightly in a shade of light green. It then roared it's name at the top of his lungs.

"SCCCCEEEEEEEPPPPPPTTTTILLLLLLLEEEE!" Max's eyes bulged open in horror. Ghost smirked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about Overgrow… such a hotshot like you couldn't _possibly _forget a common ability like that one…" His spoke loudly, voice dripping with sarcasm. Norman couldn't believe his son was this gullible of a trainer, how did he possibly forget about it? He knew what Ghost had been planning, but was also intrigued… just why exactly did the Ghost not finish him off ahead of time?

It did not take long to find out the answer. "Sceptile, perhaps we'll show them a dose of our power, hm?" Ash said in a sing-song-like voice. Max, however, cried out. "Fire Fang!" Manectric roared and jumped forward, jaws a bright orange. Ash smirked and called out. "Giga Drain!" Norman's eyes widened in terror.

Sceptile roared and unleashed a large beam from its arms that engulfed Manectric completely as it was running towards the Grass type. The beam didn't appear to harm Manectric… but it did slow him down… a _lot. _Manectric stopped running at Sceptile, then lost its concentration for fire fang, then collapsed completely.

The crowd was in shock. Then, they looked to Sceptile, and gasped in disbelief. "SCCEEEPTTIIILLLEEE!" He roared loudly and flexed his arms upwards, indicating he was nearly completely healed. The Alola natives cheered loudly at this, while others appeared shell-shocked. What on earth had the Ghost just done?

"It's simple really." Ghost spoke aloud. "I knew Giga Drain would rob Manectric of most of its health, but, it couldn't cover for everything. There's no reason to use Giga Drain if he's not even wounded, it doesn't do as much damage as other moves he knows… but… each of them have consequences." He motioned to Manectric, who was slowly getting up.

Max sputtered, still completely bewildered on how quickly the tides changed. "B-but… h-h-how? H-how did you know what to do?"

Ash laughed a little coldly. "Let me explain: My Sceptile knows Work Up and Giga Drain, as you already know, however, both moves are really only effective within certain scenarios. Giga Drain is used best when your own Pokémon is wounded, and Work Up leaves your Pokémon vulnerable to attack. Now, the other moves he knows are X-Scissor… and Leaf Storm. Leaf Storm lowers my Pokémon's Special Attack Greatly whether it hits or not, and assuming you could either counter it or evade it, it would not be within my best interest to use Leaf Storm until the right moment."

Max was confused. "Then why didn't you just use X-Scissor?"

Ash smirked. "Simple: Your Manectric has Static."

The crowd gasped in shock; the Ghost could tell a Pokémon's ability? That… that was almost unheard of! Max was processing everything he just heard and suddenly, it all clicked together. "So wait! You knew that if you attacked us directly with X-Scissor, it would likely backfire, because then Sceptile would be paralyzed and be unable to evade Manectric's physical moves?"

Ash laughed and said. "Yes Yes! That's precisely what I just said… like, _exactly, _what I just said." Max wasn't listening, though. "And you knew that Leaf Storm would ruin your only chance at Victory, while it would lower the sheer power of Giga Drain should it hit…" His eyes bulged open. He now realized just how badly he had been played by the Champion; everything fit now.

"So that's why you kept using Work Up and Letting my attacks hit! You kept charging up your special attack with Work Up, then again with Overgrow, and finally unleashing a special move to regain all your health!" He accused in shock.

As Ash replied, Xavier muttered something else to the group. "To make matters worse for Max, he's forgetting one other thing: Manectric won't be able to evade after a blow like that, and he certainly can't overpower Sceptile… especially now that…"

"You're forgetting one thing: Now, Leaf Storm has almost doubled in Power, and your Pokémon is too weak to evade!" Ash said with a grin. Max's eyes widened in shock and horror, before he could yell for Manectric to move, Ash yelled while swiping his hand in a horizontal motion, "Leaf Storm!" Sceptile, boosted with tons of additional special attack, unleashed a titanic wave of leaves that absolutely smothered the electric type, who cried out in pain. The audience was blinded by the sheer power of the move, and they covered their eyes in response.

The move ended, and nobody really needed the referee to know the response. "Manectric is unable to battle, Sceptile Wins! Therefore, the victor of this battle is The Ghost!" A loud cheer emerged from the crowd and Sceptile held up his arm to the sky to show his victory, as did Ash. Max was just watching them with stunned eyes; how could he have fallen so far? All he needed to do was land one more blow on Sceptile and the battle would've been history!

Axel spoke quietly. "Something else about that battle that Ash didn't reveal to Max…" The three elites looked at him as he spoke. "If you noticed, Ash never made an attempt to avoid any moves that were based with Special Attack, yet he made sure that he could avoid physical moves at all costs."

Xavier frowned. "Why's that?"

Axel spoke. "If I'm thinking about this the right way, there are two reasons. The first is the most practical: Sceptile's… in general… have a higher special defense stat than defense. Ash was likely avoiding physical moves as much as possible to monitor just how much damage Sceptile was taking. I'm fairly certain that Ash didn't mean for Fire Fang to hit; Max honestly got that one on him… but, the second reason is because Thunder Fang has a greater chance to paralyze your opponent than thunderbolt does. Ash used Thunderbolt as a distraction for Sceptile's stat boosts while avoiding Paralysis the entire time."

Zandra added. "Of course, there is a chance Sceptile could get paralyzed even if it is thunderbolt… just a much lower chance"

The crowd continued roaring Ghost's name. Then, he surprised everyone when he got on one knee. Everyone began whispering in confusion; was the Ghost injured? He gently lowered his head and Sceptile, who was watching his trainer closely, walked over and mimicked his trainer's actions. Both of them had their eyes closed as they lodged the battle into their memories forever.

Little did Max know, the battle he had just experienced with the Ghost was nowhere near the true power the Ghost wielded. If Ghost truly had felt threatened by the young trainer, he could've swatted him away easily. He wasn't about to reveal that power yet. There were many traitors to defeat. Max was only the beginning.

They would all face his wrath.

After one more moment, Ash murmured quietly to Sceptile. "For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Sceptile murmured back. "Scep-tile…" They both got up at this and Ash said. "Thanks so much for the phenomenal battle Sceptile, please, take a rest." He returned his faithful grass type to its pokeball and Ash walked over to Max, who appeared frozen in shock from his defeat. Manectric was still lying knocked out on the battlefield. The Ghost approached him and held out his hand. Max looked at Ghost's outstretched hand. Norman, meanwhile, was beyond happy. This had gone _extremely _smooth. The Ghost, unsurprisingly, had defeated his son in battle. Sure, it was a little disappointing, but, it was better than having him as an enemy. By offering him a handshake, Ghost seemed like he was willing to forgive Max and forget what had just happened.

Naturally… "Hah! You're nothing special. If my Manectric wasn't so weak, I would've easily won!" He scoffed and ignored the hand outstretched. Norman smacked his hand to his forehead, could his son be acting any more immature?

The Ghost replied. "If you truly believe it is your Pokémon's fault, then you do not deserve to be its trainer. Your Pokémon fought with everything it had and didn't give up until the very end and trusted you with its life. Are you still adamant on blaming Manectric for your own stupidity?"

Ash honestly expected Max to reconsider his words and apologize. He truly did. He thought Max would see the error of his ways. That was not the case. He gripped Manectric's pokeball and held it out for Ash to see. "How's _THIS _for adamant!?" He yelled. In one motion, he threw the pokeball on the ground, and then, to the horror of everyone, he smashed it with his foot.

Norman's eyes bulged out so far they were nearly out of their sockets. What on _EARTH _was Max thinking? The next thing Norman knew, his son was being held up in the air by the Ghost who looked like he was ready to kill the young boy for what he had just done. Max, meanwhile, was back into pissing mode as he stared at the man who seemed ready for extreme measures. The Ghost spoke in a whisper. "You will regret that decision Max Maple. You best hope you lose in this tournament before you face me… for if you do… you. Will. Suffer."

Ghost then tossed Max on the ground, who quickly stumbled away from him in a panic. Ghost spat. "You're the kind of person who makes this world toxic. You're simply nothing more than a disease, a walking disease at that, infecting everything you touch." Two men in black suits came up to Ghost and Ash said angrily. "Take this man out of here. While I cannot arrest you since there's no proof you harmed Manectric, I refuse to allow you to remain here any longer."

Max was held up by both the guards, one on each arm. Ghost got very close to Max's face and whispered. "You will pay for what you've done. From now on… we are enemies. Do not forget it…" Ghost motioned with his hand, and the guards took Max away, who was yelling about, "The barbariac actions" of Alola and how they treat their guests. Guests were now murmuring softly as they watched Ash approach the still-fallen Manectric.

He got down on one knee and pet the electric type's head. It weakly looked up at him, still not having the strength to move. The audience, including his own elites, were silent at the scene in front of them. Ash spoke quietly. "Manectric, your own trainer just abandoned you, and destroyed your Pokeball."

Manectric didn't move but it's eyes began to lightly shine, signaling tears were about to fall. Ash spoke again. "You're clearly injured Manectric, and I want to heal you. But to do so, I need to capture you and take you to the Pokémon center here in ALT City. However, I won't do so unless you allow it. Unlike how your previous trainer felt about you, I truly care about all Pokémon's feelings; I won't force you to do something you don't want to do. Of this, you have my word." He held out a pokeball and watched the Manectric with calm and collected eyes. The Manectric had stopped the threat of shedding tears, and after a moment, it nodded it's head at him, agreeing to be caught for the time being.

Ash gently pushed the pokeball on Manectric's head, and a red light sucked it into the object. It shook three times in the Champion's hand before stopping. It then flashed white, signaling it's capture. He stood up, and Pikachu, who had been watching the battle next to Ash, ran up to him and hopped on his shoulder.

"Pika Pi?" He questioned.

Ash told his partner. "To be honest Pikachu, I didn't see it coming." Ash growled in anger under his breath. People like Max made him sick to his stomach; it was everything he _strived _to stop. He pushed himself to his feet and then walked to the sidelines, where his four elites stood waiting his next command.

Ash told them. "It's time to leave. We have plenty to discuss, and we'll do so at the Pokémon Center. I will find Kiawé and let him know that he and Jac are in charge for the rest of the party. I'll let the head of security know they should listen to the two of them at all costs as well. Someone needs to make sure nothing gets out of hand again."

_Later that Night at the Pokémon Center…_

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?" A voice exploded. The elites flinched visibly at their champion's outburst. They knew this was coming, but that didn't make it any better. He was very distressed, and rightfully so. They had nearly just been arrested for assault, after all. Especially since Ash had threatened Max with attempted assault, it would seem odd that he didn't get angry with his own elites for doing so as well.

"YOU ALL COULD HAVE JUST COST YOURSELVES YOUR ELITE SPOTS! DO YOU REALIZE THAT?" He roared. Xavier wouldn't meet his eyes. Axel was looking at him guiltily. July looked indifferent and Zandra appeared angry.

"If I may point something out, that _Bitch _punched July merely because—" She was cut off as Ash yelled. "Because _SHE _gave her a reason to! The fight was between Xavier and Max, and she had to cut in, involving everyone else!"

July quietly murmured. "We're just protecting you from—" Ash was in her face in a moment. "You know this is _my _fight. Not yours. You all have your own fights, correct?" When nobody spoke after that, he yelled. "CORRECT?"

Axel spoke quietly. "Yes sir."

Ash pointed at him. "Never call me Sir. I told you that no matter the circumstance, never call me that. We, though have different titles, are still simply humans. There's no reason to not have mutual respect with one another." He began pacing the room they were in; Ash had questioned Nurse Joy if it was at all possible to lend them a room to discuss the night's actions in private. Naturally, him being Champion had perks. She lent him a room for a small time, claiming the guests were supposed to show up that night, but they could use it for awhile. Ash shook his head and wondered what he was going to do with his elites for this incident.

He looked at the facts he had gained from asking witness'. Although Bonnie had been the first one to become a bother, Xavier had been the first one to make physical contact. Then when Max had intervened to defend Bonnie, July cut in to defend Xavier. When Misty attacked July, Zandra attacked Misty. He glanced at his partner, who shrugged his shoulders, and quietly murmured. "Piiiii…"

Ash sighed and spoke again. "Axel, I'll begin with you." Axel hung his head. "You did the right thing tonight." Axel's head flipped up. "Huh?"

"You were the only one tonight that attempted to not fight at all. You tried to stop the fight by holding Xavier back, who, after I talk to him, will be very grateful you did so. You were a peacekeeper today… as you have been most of your life. You did well." Axel blushed a bit at the praise, but Ash wasn't done. "There is something I need you to do. Go to Manectric's healing facility. You know Electric type's like Xavier knows how to flirt. I want you to run a full analysis on Manectric. Nurse Joy is good at what she does, but there's no better expert on Electric Types than you. Go please." Axel nodded, stood up, and walked out of the room, closing the door quietly behind him.

That left his other three elites in the room. He frowned and considered the situation with all three of them. From what he had figured out, they could all be at fault, and yet, they also could not be. July was only defending Xavier when nobody else was, as Max had defended Bonnie. Zandra had only attacked Misty because Misty had attacked July. Xavier had only gotten Physical with Bonnie because of her actions with Clemont. In a way, they could all be punished and disciplined for what they had done, but at the same time, perhaps not.

"I'm going to regret this…" He muttered softly. He took a deep breath. "I cannot believe I'm saying this, but I'm letting you three off the hook as well."

Now, Axel had been surprised when he was off scot-free, but his other elites looked entirely baffled. Xavier stuttered. "A-A-Are you s-serious?"

Ash nodded and ran a hand through his hand. "The way I see it, you _could _be viable for what happened. But, at the same time, perhaps not. Misty, Bonnie, and all of the others who were involved in a fight fled the scene when it happened to escape questioning, while you all remained behind. That looks good for you, not so much for them. At the same time, Zandra only was involved because Misty attacked July. July was only involved because she was defending Xavier as Max had defended Bonnie. And Xavier was only involved because of the altercation between Bonnie and Clemont."

Ash nodded his head slowly. "So, in result, yes, you all _may _be held responsible. However, I can see why you did why you did. You did itto defend your friends, which I have always told you to do. I cannot argue with that."

Zandra smiled a little bit. "… Thanks Ash."

Ash smirked a little. "Don't thank me yet. This is a one-time thing. This will not happen often, you can count on that."

Just then, the door to the room opened and Axel poked his head back into the room. He spoke to Ash. "Manectric is doing well in my opinion, but something about him still seems off. I think it's best if you see him for yourself Ash, you know… just in case." Ash nodded and said to his blonde-haired elite. "You're correct. I'll be there in a moment." He then looked back once at his now full group of elites and spoke. "The Traitors know we are their enemies now. The opposition is in front of us. When the bracket comes out shortly, we must be ready." He then walked out of the room, allowing his elites to talk amongst themselves.

Ash was met by Nurse Joy outside Manectric's room. He questioned the pink-haired lady as calmly as he could. "How is Manectric Nurse Joy?"

Nurse Joy smiled at the Champion. Even though this Pokémon was "Technically" his at the moment, he still had the common decency to be worried about it as though it really was his. Of course, Nurse Joy didn't know just how much Ash cared for _every _Pokémon. It wasn't just Manectric; he loved every Pokémon in its own way.

"Manectric is doing well Ghost. Would you like to see him?" Ash replied. "Yes, I would."

She opened the door and saw Manectric lying on a fluffy bed in the middle of the room. The bed itself was a few feet off the ground. However, something was most certainly bothering him. Ash took a seat next to him and spoke. "Hey there, how you doing?" When Manectric didn't even look his way, Ash frowned a little and decided to think of something else to say.

"Do you want something to eat? I can always grab something for you…" He trailed off when he saw Manectric was still not looking over at him. Nurse Joy spoke from behind him. "I'm sure your elite Axel spoke to you about a problem regarding Manectric. This is the issue he was speaking of: Manectric just hasn't been acting normal. Axel said it should be vying to get out and get stronger, but this Manectric isn't like that. I don't exactly know why this is, and I honestly don't know what to tell you."

Ash knew what was bothering Manectric. It was alright that neither Nurse Joy nor Axel really knew the truth about it, but since Ash did, an idea came over him. He turned back to the nurse.

"Can you please give and Manectric some privacy? I'd like to talk with it alone." After a moment, she nodded slowly with a small smile on her face and left the room, closing the blinds on the way out. Manectric still hadn't moved from the bed, looking away from Ash. "Can I sit down?" Ash spoke to the electric type. When Manectric said nothing, he took initiative and sat down next to the distraught Pokémon.

"You're not upset that Max abandoned you. You're upset that you believe you won't be good enough for any trainer, is that it?" Manectric, for the first time since he had entered the room, lifted its head to look over at Ash. The surprise in its eyes was clear. Ash smiled at it. "It's alright, I know how you feel."

Manectric snorted, as if not believing him. Ash looked up to the ceiling and spoke quietly. "Honest. Before I became champion, I was training my Pokémon to try and win a Pokémon league. No matter how hard I trained, it seemed like I fell just short. But… even so… I never gave up! It _was _my dream, after all."

Manectric looked at him with curiosity and Ash continued. "But… for the people who I used to call my friends, they told me to give up on my dream. They betrayed me and attempted to end my life when I refused." Manectric's eyes widened a little at that. Ash grinned lightly. "Yeah, and they think I'm dead right now. But, even presumed dead, I couldn't just give up on my dream! It was my goal to become a champion, and I achieved my dream because I never gave up."

Manectric was silent and Ash finished talking. "Manectric, your old trainer was the one who betrayed me. Max was one of my old friends who tried to get me to give up my dreams. That was about six years ago… maybe a little bit more." Manectric was staring at the trainer in front of it in shock, his old trainer had betrayed the Alola champion before he had become the champion? Why?

Ash stood up and looked at the electric type one more time before taking out Manectric's pokeball and laid it in front of Manectric. "Manectric, what I'm trying to say is that some people out there are just cruel. You and I both suffered from the same trainer. If I can overcome him, you can too, because I know how strong and loyal you are. Never forget that." He turned to walk out of the room. He was only about a foot from the door when he heard it.

"Mana!" Ash looked back and saw Manectric was standing up at attention in front of its pokeball. Ash walked closer and got on eye level with the electric type. The Pokémon nudged the pokeball back to Ash with a happy. "Mana! Mane-ctric!" Ash grinned and spoke softly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to stay with me. Am I right?"

Manectric grinned and gave out an affirmative bark. Ash laughed and said. "You ready to show the nerd not to mess with us?" Manectric licked Ash's face and barked in approval. Ash chuckled and rubbed Manectric's head with a smile on his face. Max wasn't going to know what hit him.

**AN: Andddddd that's a wrap folks! Next chapter will likely have the first matchups of the story, but it's unlikely that I actually put it in the chapter. I also don't really know when the next chapter will be posted. As I mentioned, I have a very busy few weeks coming up here: I have a trip down to Texas on Friday that lasts nearly a week, then a trip to New York right after. Sooooo, at this point in time, I don't know when the next chapter will be prepared. Hey, maybe if I luck out, next Monday will still be an upload day.**

**This chapter surpassed 7,000 words, which is very solid. Manectric is now under Ash's guidance as Max had decided to Abandon it for losing against Ash's Sceptile. Are all of Ash's Pokémon this strong? What other tricks does the Alola Champion have up his sleeve? Make sure you keep up to date with the story so you never miss anything!**

**Please follow, favorite, and review if you all enjoy the story! I try to respond to everyone as long as there is a reply link. Thanks so much for reading everyone! Till the next post, whenever that may happen to be!**

**LegionZ**


	7. Falling for You

**Hey everyone! It's ya boi, back with another chapter to The Chosen One's Wrath! If you guys are new, please make sure you follow and favorite the story! It would mean a ton to me! So I'm typing this the same day I posted Chapter 6 because I honestly don't know when I'll be able to type again. Sooooo I'm trying to get as much as I can today and get ahead of the game a little to try and possibly get a post out on time (as unlikely as that is.)**

**What else? Oh yeah, so I figured I should probably spice up this chapter with some advancehshipping. I know these last few chapters have been kinda dry of advanceshipping, so I think it's time to start the train. I'm coming up with this chapter kind of on the fly, but hey, if it works out in the end, who cares? **

**I also found out that Chapter 4 has rebolded itself after I specifically made sure it didn't happen. Not sure why the hell that is, but I changed it… **_**again. **_**Here's hoping it doesn't do this to the entire chapter I'm typing right now. **

**So yeah, if this doesn't end up getting posted till after that Monday, I wouldn't be surprised. (AN: Posting this (Section) later after I typed it all up: Heyyyy boys! Hope you enjoy the chapter! This is the longest chapter I've ever grinded out! Enjoy!) I don't think there's really much more I need to talk about so let's get into the chapter! Hope you all enjoy guys! **

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 7**

_Last Chapter…_

_Ghost smirked. "Don't tell me you've forgotten about Overgrow… such a hotshot like you couldn't possibly forget a common ability like that one…" His spoke loudly, voice dripping with sarcasm. Norman couldn't believe his son was this gullible of a trainer, how did he possibly forget about it? He knew what Ghost had been planning, but was also intrigued… just why exactly did the Ghost not finish him off ahead of time?_

_It did not take long to find out the answer. "Sceptile, perhaps we'll show them a dose of our power, hm?" Ash said in a sing-song-like voice. Max, however, cried out. "Fire Fang!" Manectric roared and jumped forward, jaws a bright orange. Ash smirked and called out. "Giga Drain!" Norman's eyes widened in terror._

_Sceptile roared and unleashed a large beam from its arms that engulfed Manectric completely as it was running towards the Grass type. The beam didn't appear to harm Manectric… but it did slow him down… a lot. Manectric stopped running at Sceptile, then lost its concentration for fire fang, then collapsed completely. _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_Hah! You're nothing special. If my Manectric wasn't so weak, I would've easily won!" He scoffed and ignored the hand outstretched. Norman smacked his hand to his forehead, could his son be acting any more immature?_

_The Ghost replied. "If you truly believe it is your Pokémon's fault, then you do not deserve to be its trainer. Your Pokémon fought with everything it had and didn't give up until the very end and trusted you with its life. Are you still adamant on blaming Manectric for your own stupidity?"_

_Ash honestly expected Max to reconsider his words and apologize. He truly did. He thought Max would see the error of his ways. That was not the case. He gripped Manectric's pokeball and held it out for Ash to see. "How's THIS for adamant!?" He yelled. In one motion, he threw the pokeball on the ground, and then, to the horror of everyone, he smashed it with his foot._

_Norman's eyes bulged out so far they were nearly out of their sockets. What on EARTH was Max thinking? The next thing Norman knew, his son was being held up in the air by the Ghost who looked like he was ready to kill the young boy for what he had just done. Max, meanwhile, was back into pissing mode as he stared at the man who seemed ready for extreme measures. The Ghost spoke in a whisper. "You will regret that decision Max Maple. You best hope you lose in this tournament before you face me… for if you do… you. Will. Suffer."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Ash knew what was bothering Manectric. It was alright that neither Nurse Joy nor Axel really knew the truth about it, but since Ash did, an idea came over him. He turned back to the nurse._

"_Can you please give and Manectric some privacy? I'd like to talk with it alone." After a moment, she nodded slowly with a small smile on her face and left the room, closing the blinds on the way out. Manectric still hadn't moved from the bed, looking away from Ash. "Can I sit down?" Ash spoke to the electric type. When Manectric said nothing, he took initiative and sat down next to the distraught Pokémon. _

"_You're not upset that Max abandoned you. You're upset that you believe you won't be good enough for any trainer, is that it?" Manectric, for the first time since he had entered the room, lifted its head to look over at Ash. The surprise in its eyes was clear. Ash smiled at it. "It's alright, I know how you feel."_

_Manectric snorted, as if not believing him. Ash looked up to the ceiling and spoke quietly. "Honest. Before I became champion, I was training my Pokémon to try and win a Pokémon league. No matter how hard I trained, it seemed like I fell just short. But… even so… I never gave up! It was my dream, after all."_

_Manectric looked at him with curiosity and Ash continued. "But… for the people who I used to call my friends, they told me to give up on my dream. They betrayed me and attempted to end my life when I refused." Manectric's eyes widened a little at that. Ash grinned lightly. "Yeah, and they think I'm dead right now. But, even presumed dead, I couldn't just give up on my dream! It was my goal to become a champion, and I achieved my dream because I never gave up."_

_Manectric was silent and Ash finished talking. "Manectric, your old trainer was the one who betrayed me. Max was one of my old friends who tried to get me to give up my dreams. That was about six years ago… maybe a little bit more." Manectric was staring at the trainer in front of it in shock, his old trainer had betrayed the Alola champion before he had become the champion? Why?_

_Ash stood up and looked at the electric type one more time before taking out Manectric's pokeball and laid it in front of Manectric. "Manectric, what I'm trying to say is that some people out there are just cruel. You and I both suffered from the same trainer. If I can overcome him, you can too, because I know how strong and loyal you are. Never forget that." He turned to walk out of the room. He was only about a foot from the door when he heard it._

"_Mana!" Ash looked back and saw Manectric was standing up at attention in front of its pokeball. Ash walked closer and got on eye level with the electric type. The Pokémon nudged the pokeball back to Ash with a happy. "Mana! Mane-ctric!" Ash grinned and spoke softly. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you wanted to stay with me. Am I right?"_

_Manectric grinned and gave out an affirmative bark. Ash laughed and said. "You ready to show the nerd not to mess with us?" Manectric licked Ash's face and barked in approval. Ash chuckled and rubbed Manectric's head with a smile on his face. Max wasn't going to know what him._

_Present…_

Ash would curse Cynthia into oblivion; he was certain of this. How she had managed to organize this and get enough support was beyond him. He currently found himself staring at a closet inside his chamber inside the Pokémon league. He was staring morosely at the wide variety of clothes in front of him. As much as everyone else had wanted this event to take place, Ash couldn't believe it got enough support to _actually _go through.

He paused briefly and stared at a rather odd outfit that seemed to be calling him. He stared at it with genuine interest. He picked it out of the closet and stared at it for a moment. It was a black suit with a white handkerchief wrapped inside it. It came with a white dress shirt and a black bow tie to boot. The black pants also made themselves known. As he finished inspecting the clothes, he spoke aloud.

"You don't approve?"

A figure slowly walked into the room, her pink hair covering part of her hair. She smiled. "Not only could you tell where I was, you could tell my thoughts as well… how you do what you do is impressive."

Ash continued admiring the suit. "That's a no then?"

Zandra took the suit from his hand and placed it back in the closet. She said nothing but handed him another outfit that had Ash very perplexed. It was a dark blue that, like the first outfit, had a white handkerchief, but the piece of clothing had a collar that was pulled up, masking the back of his neck. His slightly darker blue pants complimented his choice of top as well. Finally, the outfit was completed with a slightly silver tie that seemed to complete the whole shebang. Ash whistled softly. "I didn't know you had good taste…"

She smiled to herself more than anyone and spoke quietly. "I'm going with Lance."

Ash didn't look at her and didn't say a word. He was silent for a moment then talked, a bit of emotion leaking out. "I hope you know what you're doing Zandra. He did leave you… don't forget that. I won't try to stop you because you've grown into a fearless trainer." She giggled softly, something that was very rare for the pink-haired elite.

"I _am_ Zandra the Ruthless… if he tries anything stupid like he did before, I'll bury him, and he knows that." Ash shook his head. "If only you acted the same to everyone as you did to us and him, you wouldn't be known as the Ruthless…" Ash chuckled as he hung up the blue suit on a free hook nearby for easy access.

All his elites had been given special names when they had been crowned the title of Elites. Zandra's name was Zandra the Ruthless due to her aggressive battle tactics. Before she had become an elite, she was a wandering trainer looking for her calling. She had been utterly destructive in the Alola Champion tournament up until she was met by a young man named Abel Winchine. He had stunned her, countering her attacks with dazzling tactics that eliminated her much earlier than she had been projected.

Axel's name was Axel the Hero. He was granted the title of Hero when he was revealed to be a trainer by day, and a vigilante by night, defending HeaHea City from the shadows. Every single day, he and his team got stronger and stronger, and eventually, he was simply known as the Hero of HeaHea. When his identity was revealed, the citizens of HeaHea city thought it was right that he was rewarded, and is still seen as a public hero to this day. Ash made sure Axel was recognized as HeaHea's defender, and he was very grateful for it, as were the people of HeaHea City.

July's name was July the Beautiful. Being a super model had its perks: she got tons of attention before she became an elite, but even so, she still found time to model. Guys would wish to be with her and Girls would wish to be her. Of course, it came with disadvantages. She was constantly being pursued by Men and Women alike, for different reasons. Once she became an elite, the security of the Pokémon League and ALT City helped reduce the attention, and she was forever grateful of Ash.

Xavier's name was Xavier the Player. He got this name for multiple reasons: both reasons being as it sounds. He was a master card player; it was how he made his living. Gambling brought him fame as well as fortune. He didn't have as good luck with those of the opposite gender, not because they were uninterested, but rather because he didn't connect with them. He was more into the "Fun Time" rather than the "Long Time." He broke the hearts of some young females, hence his name. He took a rather long break from competitive cards when he joined the ranks of the Elites, and it helped him settle down.

Zandra smiled at Ash and said quietly. "You're not wrong about that… Lance will find out just how Ruthless I can be if he tries anything Ash, don't worry." With that statement, she walked out of the room swiftly. Ash paused to watch her for a moment, then went back to his task at hand. His mind drifted back to the reason _why _he was looking for a nice suit…

_Flashback… Three Days Prior…_

Ash walked down the Pokémon league hallways as swiftly as he could. Usually, it was not for a major reason. Today, however, was a different story. All the champions would be waiting for him there to discuss the opening of the tournament and how it would happen. He knew it was wise to not let them make a major decision without his input after what had happened earlier, so this was necessary.

He searched for the private meeting room that was rarely ever used, and after another minute, he saw it appear on his right. He burst open the doors and swept into the room, catching the attention of every other champion in the room as well as Mr. Goodshow. That very same man smiled brightly at Ghost and said with a beaming smile. "Ah! There you are Mr. Ghost! Allow me the first to say your region is simply gorgeous! How you got this region so perfect is beyond me!"

Alder spoke happily. "I was able to roam around this Island called ALT City, and I was simply stunned! It was magnificent."

The other champions murmured in agreement, including Lance, who had a cheeky grin on his face. Mr. Goodshow silenced the chatter with his hand. "Now then, I believe it's time to talk about how we are going to open this fair tournament of ours. Obviously, the first battle shall take place in the ABS, the Alola Battle Stadium. Now, the catch of it is, who will be the first to go, how shall we announce it, and anything else we may need to execute this."

Ghost spoke calmly. "Why not do what we always do and just randomly select two trainers to battle?"

Mr. Goodshow shook his head. "Afraid not Ghost. These years ratings are higher than ever, at least, those are the projections. We need to make a huge splash to meet the expectations of everyone watching out there. So, we need to come up with an idea to attract positive attention that isn't your traditional opening battle to a tournament. That's why I'm talking with you all, I'd like to hear your ideas."

The room was silent for a moment before Lance said. "How about just having two us champions in an opening battle?"

The room began muttering aloud but Mr. Goodshow shut it down. "Not happening. People from every region in the world will be watching this tournament. If their favorite champion gets knocked out early, we lose ratings and attention for now and in the future. What else do we have?"

Again, silence reigned. Diantha was the next one to speak. "What if we chose to have the two top trainers that aren't affiliated with Pokémon League battle in an exhibition match to begin?" Mr. Goodshow's response was quick. "Too simple. We need something special, something amazing, something that will launch us _into _the tournament. It doesn't necessarily have to be the battle itself, but maybe something that happens beforehand."

Alder grumbled something under his breath. Steven questioned the orange-haired champion with a curious glance. "What was that Alder?"

He spoke quietly. "This sounds like you want this to be extravagant…" Suddenly, Cynthia let out a gasp of surprise. "T-that's it! We can have a _Dance!_" the male Champions groaned aloud. Ash commented aloud. "No chance I vote for that." Lance muttered. "I agree with you on that." The other champions voiced their opinions and Mr. Goodshow yelled. "That's enough! We'll take a vote right now. Champion Steven, your vote?"

Steven shrugged his shoulders and stroked his chin with his thumb and index finger with a pondering look. "To be frank… I believe this may be the best idea we will come up with on such short notice. I vote yes." Lance double-taked. "Huh? Steven, you can't be _serious_!" Mr. Goodshow announced. "One in Favor, None against. Champion Alder?"

Alder spoke. "I'd rather not, in all honesty."

"That's one for each now, Champion Cynthia?" Her response was as expected. "Ooooohh I can't wait! What will I wear? I've always wanted to try my white dress out, but maybe my light blue one would work better? Ohhhh I don't know…" Mr. Goodshow yelled. "Champion Cynthia!" She immediately blushed and noticed how many people were staring at her. She squeaked. "I vote yes."

Mr. Goodshow told the group, "That's two in Favor, one against. Next up, Champion Lance?" Lance waved his hand in the air as though it was obvious. "Not in a million years." Cynthia glared at him before 'humphing' loudly and turning away. "Two apiece. Diantha?" Diantha spoke happily. "I believe I'll vote in favor of this dance." Mr. Goodshow nodded and tallied up the third yes. He spoke again. "Ghost?" Ash said quietly. "No."

Lance and Ash silently we gleeful; there was no chance Mr. Goodshow would want to have a _dance_. They couldn't see it happening in a million years. Mr. Goodshow hummed aloud and said. "Well then! I suppose it's up to me!" After a moment of pondering, he laughed. "Eh, why not? Let's do it!"

A chorus of uproars came from the table. Cynthia and Diantha cheered, Ash and Lance fell out of their seats, Alder groaned aloud and Steven laughed at everyone's antics. Lance sputtered. "B-b-but sir! You can't p-possibly expect us to dance for the public! Y-y-you can't d-do that!" Mr. Goodshow was silent again before he spoke happily. "I have the solution to that!"

Ash took a sip of water to try and calm his nerves. How could this get any worse? Mr. Goodshow announced. "Get the message out to all of your elites and gym leaders! The dance will be taking place in five days from today! I will notify every one of the location! And… you must bring a _date _to the dance!" He added with a huge grin. Ash spat out his water all over the table and began coughing as though his life depended on it.

Why did he have to think that? "A-a-a Date?" Mr. Goodshow chuckled at seeing the usually calm Ghost so flustered. "Yes Ghost, a date." 

_Present…_

That's how Ash found himself standing in the Pokémon Center… wait… no, that's not why he found himself standing in the Pokémon center. It was because he was officially picking up Manectric from the Pokémon Center and Nurse Joy's care. He smiled as his newest Pokémon rubbed up close to him. Ash smiled and Nurse Joy, who was watching the entire exchange with a smile on her face, said.

"That Manectric there was practically determined to make it out of here! I knew something had changed it since you had gone in to see it, and I'm so glad to see everything worked out between the two of you!"

Ash smiled and spoke while still looking at Manectric. "Yup! Manectric is going to tear up this competition, especially after we get in some special training, right Manectric?" The Electric type barked in agreement. What the trio didn't know was that a pair of shocked eyes were watching them with fearful thoughts. Ash returned Manectric with a smile and thanked Nurse Joy profusely.

"I can't thank you enough Nurse Joy! I'm in your debt." The nurse laughed and shook her head. "Please champion! If anyone is indebted, it is I to you. You built this region from the ground up. We all owe everything to you Ghost." Ash smiled and said. "Thank you for your service Nurse Joy." She bowed and said happily. "And thanks to yours as well." With that, Ash turned on his heel and walked out of the room.

It was only then that Ash sensed a pair of blue eyes watching him from his side. He had to wonder why she was watching him with such curiosity, but he tried not to think about it. However, after walking out of the Pokémon Center and making a beeline to the league and still feeling the presence of the girl, he decided to finally act. He turned a corner quickly and the girl followed him in, only to be confused as she saw nobody in the alley. She blinked and stared around in confusion.

"Any reason you're following me Miss Maple?" She yelped in surprise and saw the Ghost standing there with a slightly amused look on his face. She stuttered. "I-I-I…" Ghost dropped his amused expression and said coldly. "I don't have time for games Miss Maple. Why are you following me?" When she said nothing he continued. "Is it to berate me for the humiliation of your brother? If you're here to get an apology from me, you won't get one. I don't regret putting the twerp down, so perhaps it's best if you just—" He was interrupted by a rather flustered May Maple.

"I-I just wanted to apologize!" That caught Ghost off-guard in many ways. She wasn't there to insult him? She was here to say sorry? For what? He voiced his inner thoughts after a moment. "And what are you apologizing for? You've done nothing wrong that I can think of." Ghost said with a raised eyebrow. She hesitated and spoke. "I'm here apologizing for Max. I saw the entire incident happen, it wasn't the fault of you or your elites. My dad is currently trying to knock sense into Max from the incident, but, of course, he believes the win was merely a fluke. He really isn't making a good name for himself, but, on the behalf of the Maple's, I am here to apologize for my brother's actions to you and your elites."

That caught Ghost off guard. She was apologizing? That was unexpected. She continued after a moment. "If there's anything I can do for you, please just let me know…" Ash opened his mouth to speak and then closed it in an instant.

He didn't want to admit the sad truth, but, he had to say it: He still needed a date to the dance, and perhaps this was a way to see if May was honestly telling the truth about Drew. In his mind, sure, it was to gain information. Nonetheless, he nodded and spoke with reserve. "May, there is something I would like your help with. Need I mention that you have full control and option to say no should you want to do so." May nodded slowly, where was Ghost going with this?

He cleared his throat and spoke. "It… it came to my attention that there is now a special way to decide who is the opening battle of this ceremony. There is a Dance that is being held for Gym Leaders, Elites, and Champions. The catch of it is that everyone must have a date. And it turns out… I am available." He cleared his throat and spoke as evenly as he could.

"May Maple, will you do me the greatest of honors by coming to the dance with me?" May's mind froze completely. Did… Did the Ghost just ask her out on a date? Like the same "Ghost, Champion of Alola" Ghost? She couldn't honestly believe it! But, there was a part of her that legitimately did want to go with this young man. But, she felt as though that if she did go, she would betray Ash again. What choice could she make?

She was silent for a moment or two, pondering her choices. Ash, meanwhile, was sweating up a storm. This was an extreme longshot to try and reconnect with May without having to reveal himself, yet. Either way, there really wasn't anyone else that he wanted to go to the dance with. Plus, after talking with her for a good portion of the meet up at The Party Starter, he honestly wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not. Part of him pleaded that she was, and perhaps a night with her would do just that.

Still, as the seconds turned into minutes, he began to lose optimism, and he lost it with every second. After a solid three minutes of eerie silence, he spoke in a rush. "Perhaps I shouldn't have asked you Miss Maple, m-my apologies, I shall see you—" He was about to bail on the brown haired beauty, but instead, she interrupted him.

"I'd love to go with you Ghost."

Ash double-taked, not sure he heard that correctly. He stared at her, who had an unreadable look in her eyes. He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "Did… did you say you'd go?" May nodded and said quietly. "I still love Ash. I can't help myself there. But… if I begin adventuring outwards, maybe, just maybe… I'll learn to move on. He wouldn't want me hung up on him or any guy for this long. And well…" She giggled. "You're probably the cutest guy I've seen this far. So, yes. I'll happily go with you."

Ash blushed lightly, but was determined to get her back. He spoke as level as he could.

"Splendid. It is in two days-time, every piece of information you need to know is on this card."

He handed her a small card no longer than his index finger. She looked down at the card and looked back at the Ghost. He appeared to be waiting for her to read it. She read it carefully and shrieked loudly. "T-This is an E-Elites only party!"

Ash nodded with a pondering look on his face. "And Gym Leaders, and Champions. Can't forget them." She was blushing furiously. "I-I-I can't c-compete w-with them! M-maybe you s-should just g-go with someone more b-beautiful…" Ash took her hand and gently kissed it. He spoke. "There isn't anyone else I'd like to go with other than you, May. You'll be perfect there, if you'll have me." May's cheeks continued to shine red from the Ghost's compliment.

Then, after a few seconds, she squeaked. "O-Okay Ghost… I'll do it." The man smiled. "Great. I'll come by and pick you up. Just be ready for anything." He then bowed slightly to her and made to walk out before May called out. "G-Ghost!" He turned to face her, waiting for her to say something. After a moment, she did. "T-thanks. I'm looking forward to going with you." Ash smiled once more, probably the most he had smiled since the day he was betrayed. "And I, you May." He then left after calling out one of his most trusted warriors, and darted back to the Pokémon league.

May smiled as she watched him take off on the majestic dragon. Why did she feel like she'd see that dragon sooner rather than later…

_Two Days Later… Day of the Dance…_

Ash found himself, once again, standing on the roof of the Pokémon League. It would bother many if one came to a certain roof this often, but not him. It was a great way to clear his mind. He wanted to speak with his crew one last time before the dance.

Ash called all his elites to get a good look at each of them, and more importantly, ask who they were going with. Axel was sporting an oddlystylish light green suit and white dress shirt. He had an extremely light blue tie and light green pants as well. Ash had never seen his one elite dress like that, but it didn't look _that _bad on him. Xavier was legitimately not wearing anything different; just his standard black suit and white undershirt, no tie to boot. To be honest, Ash liked that look for Xavier, it fit who he was.

July was wearing a pink dress that wrapped around her waist nicely and settled at her feet just before it hit the ground. It sparkled lightly, not enough to attract too much attention. She had a pink bow in her hair as well, contrasting with her green hair. Zandra's dress was certainly the oddest. She had a yellow dress that, unlike July, hugged every part of her body, including her impressive chest. While July seemingly had gone with the more elegant approach, Zandra seemingly wanted to show off her body for someone. Although Ash knew who this was, his fellow elites, did not.

Ash nodded and spoke. "Alrighty then, everyone looks good to go. Remember, no matter who you dance with, you are representing Alola tonight. While you don't need to go all out, just remember to have hospitality. So, who are you all going with tonight?"

Axel spoke cheerfully. "I'm actually going with a Gym Leader! I'm going with Whitney!" Ash and Xavier chuckled at their friend, glad he got himself such an attractive date. Zandra was smiling as well. July, however, had a frown on her face. Ash noted this, leaving a reminder for himself to ask her about it later. He stored it away in his back pocket for now, continuing with his elites. "Xavier?"

The brown haired elite grinned. "Malva." A chorus of gasps came from the group, clearly they hadn't expected this. Ash disapproved as well. "Xavier… you could have almost any girl you want… why did you ask her…?" Xavier looked a bit offended. "Hey! Chill guys! She asked me! Diantha supposedly told her about it and she saw me at a shop down in ALT City. She asked if I would accompany her and I said I would. End of story." Ash clearly wasn't buying it, but chose not to comment on it.

"Alright then. July?" July smiled and said. "Boyfriend." This got a groan from Xavier and a little bit of an annoyed look from Axel. Zandra didn't seem like she cared. Ash nodded. "Anddd Zandra… oh, never mind. Forgot about that." She waved her hand and said. "They deserve to know as well. I'm going with Lance." The other elites began voicing opinions. Axel grumbled. "_THAT _guy again?"

"Man if only he knew how badly he messed up…" Xavier shook his head.

"Yeah really…" July added. "That's enough!" Ash interrupted. "Tonight, don't bother the guy. Remember, we need to set a good example, not a bad one. Keep it simple, keep it fresh… we don't know who we'll be battling in two days, so keep the attention to yourself at a minimum." He stood up to leave, and was quite close to calling out his faithful Pokémon, but unfortunately, July commented. "Hey Ash. Who are you going with?"

"Oh yeah…" Xavier pondered aloud. "You never said who you were attending this dance with." Ash blushed a little and said quietly. "I'm going with May." He didn't give his elites a moment to respond. Not even Zandra was aware that he had asked May. He jumped off the roof, called out Charizard, and took off in the direction of May's hotel. His elites hadn't even moved yet; all of them were in shock at knowing their champion was going to the dance with someone who had supposedly betrayed him.

Zandra looked out at the retreating figure of their champion on his Pokémon, Pikachu still on his shoulder and holding on for dear life. "I hope he knows what he's doing." Xavier came up on her right. "As do I Zan… as do I."

_May…_

About five minutes had passed since that moment, and May was preparing herself. She looked elegant in her dress; it was a beautiful light blue dress that hugged her body to perfection, however, it didn't seem like she wanted it hugging her body on purpose. She wore a light blue, see-through veil on her hair that she thought looked fairly cute. She took a deep breath and nodded to herself. She was taking a big step tonight, and was beginning to try and move on from Ash.

She couldn't help but wonder _why _she felt so attracted to the Ghost. He wasn't bad looking in the slightest, far from it actually. His brown hair, his muscular build, his alluring green eyes… or were they blue? She couldn't remember to be honest. He just had this… aura… radiating around him that just made her lower her guard around him. What was it about this man that made her think like this?

May smiled to herself. While on one hand, Max and Ghost already disliked each other, she and Ghost appeared to get off on the right foot. Suddenly, she recalled something: when Max had lost, he was supposed to chant that he was a loser to everyone. She made a mental note to remind Ghost later. At that moment, Norman came into the room. He blinked when he saw his daughter dressing up. "Now… why is my beautiful daughter dressed up like that on this fine evening? Perhaps a date with a boy?" He smirked at his daughter, teasing her.

Her response was not one he expected. "Actually, I am." Norman double-taked and his temper flared. "I'm Sorry… WHAT? Who's this bastard!? He's going to get a good talking to, that's for sure! When is the guy coming here! When I see him he's—" May cut off her father. "Dad… maybe you should just wait to see who it is before you berate him."

Norman fumed. "There's nobody I will approve of May, you know this."

May fought the urge to just tell him who she was going out with, but finally won the battle and decided against it. She just laughed and said. "I'm _fairly _certain he can beat you." Norman laughed and said jokingly. "May… You're making it sound like you're going out with a champion!"

_'If only you knew…'_ May thought. Just then, there was a knock on the front door. Norman walked to it and was entirely confused. There was a man in a black suit standing there. He had a white mustache and a balding head. It was clear this man was a butler of some kind. Norman asked with confusion. "Can I help you sir?" The man bowed and said politely. "I am here for Miss Maple, is she present?"

"I am!" May walked into view and the butler bowed. "Ah yes, I am happy to see you are here. We must go. Your chariot awaits you." May walked past her dad, who closed the door behind him in shock. Who could May possibly be going out with? He followed her to see who she was going with, and she allowed it. She couldn't wait to see her father's face when he saw her handsome date. What she noticed and was thoroughly bewildered by, was that the Butler was taking them to the roof.

They stepped out of the rather fancy elevator, and walked upon a balcony. There were many adults there enjoying drinks, conversing, and swimming in the pool. Pokémon could be seen running around as well. May smiled at the sight; this region really was phenomenal. Norman asked the butler. "Pardon me Sir, but where exactly is her date?" The butler merely looked up to the sky. The two Maples were shocked by what they saw.

An orange dragon was flying towards the building at a very fast speed. Just before it hit the building, it swooped up and landed calmly in front of them. A man hopped off, and both of the Maple's gasped. Norman's face was priceless. He recognized the same man who had obliterated his son in battle just days prior. He couldn't believe that first, he dispatches his son, then, he takes out his daughter on a date? What was going on?

May, meanwhile, had gasped for a different reason. She had gotten a good look at him and immediately had rather naughty thoughts about the champion in front of him. The blue suit and pants fitted him perfectly. His brown hair was spiked all over; he hadn't even attempted to try comb it. For some reason, she thought it was cute the way he had pulled his collar up, and the way he sported both a white handkerchief in his right chest pocket along with a silver tie made him look even better. She blushed hard at the thought of being pressed up close against him, and knew other young girls would eye up her date as though he was their next meal.

The Ghost was the first one to speak. "Mr. Maple, I presume? A pleasure to meet you, if I do say so myself." He held out his hand and shook Mr. Maple's hand. Norman blinked, when had he even put out his hand to the Champion? Ash then smiled at May and noticed the redness in her cheeks. _'Ah… she enjoys the view.' _Ash thought cheerfully.

He gently kissed May's hand and said softly. "May. You look fabulous tonight." That was the truth too. Every part of her flawless body was showing through the fabric of her dress. He had to admit, she looked incredible. She, meanwhile, quietly said. "T-thank you Ghost." He then turned and hopped on his flying type and motioned for May. "Your Chariot awaits, m'lady." Norman finally found his voice. "You can't expect me to allow you let May on that thing, can you?" Charizard snorted in annoyance at being called 'Thing.'

Ghost nonchalantly pointed out. "Well I'm just a _little _bit certain that I'm stronger than you are," Norman paled at this. "and either way… it's up to May. Should she wish not to ride Charizard, I would understand." May looked a bit nervous but said as confidently as she could. "No, I can do it!" Ghost nodded with a smile. "Come on!" He held out his hand to her, and she carefully took it. Both of them stared at one another when their hands touched, feeling the connection the two of them shared grow at the feel of it. May smiled at him, and he grinned back. Then, he pulled her onto the flying Pokémon.

All the guests were watching the exchange and taking pictures rapidly, recognizing their hero and the Princess of Hoenn (as she was once known.) She settled in sitting right in front of Ash. She was clearly a bit nervous, and Ash smiled soothingly. "If you're ever too scared, just let me know. I'll hold onto you, don't worry." May's eyes slightly widened but she smiled and nodded.

Ash said his final words to Mr. Maple. "I'll bring May back tonight safely, Mr. Maple. You have my word." With that sentence, the two took off into the night, leaving a shell-shocked Norman watching their rapidly fading figures in the distance. He couldn't understand what was happening. One of his children was bitter rivals with the Champion, while the other was going on dates with him? Just what was going on that he didn't know?

_Later that Night…_

"There it is!" Ash yelled over the blinding winds. Charizard took off towards a large, single story building. There were various colored lights coming from inside the building, indicating the party had started. May yelled. "Don't go in so fast!" Ash, however, had heard differently. "Go in fast? Uh, Okay!" Ash motioned for Charizard to go in for a nose dive, and May shrieked as the flying type took off towards the ground. She was certain she would die there, but naturally; she had no reason to panic.

Charizard had easily landed, and Ash had jumped off of the flying type. She was now looking down at Ash. She was a bit worried. "Ghost, that's a long jump!" Ghost motioned for her to jump anyway. "Come on! No need to worry! I'll catch you!" He held his arms open and she decided to take her chances. She leapt off.

She landed on Ghost firmly, and the sheer force knocked them both backwards. They both hit the ground, with Ghost on the ground and May on top of him. His arms were wrapped tightly around her waist, and her arms were around his neck. They were both laughing at the situation they had just gotten into. She giggled. "Thanks for being such a soft landing for me." Ash laughed and said in reply. "Of course, of course. Ghost, your everyday pillow for your everyday needs." They both laughed for another moment before they both became eerily quiet. It was only then that May realized how close in proximity they were to one another, and a dark blush covered her face.

Ash murmured. "You know… you're really cute when you're embarrassed." She sputtered. "T-thank you Ghost." He gently trailed his thumb across her right cheek and continued to softly speak. "How is it somebody hasn't snatched you up yet is beyond me…" May continued to turn a darker shade of red. She did not, however, try to stop him from gently rubbing her face. He finally stopped when he took her chin in two fingers.

He smirked a little and said with a grin. "Well… in that case…" He then pushed his mouth to hers, and her eyes bulged open in shock. What had gotten into Ghost? He was almost… carnal! It was unreal! Then, she decided to try and enjoy the kiss. She moaned pleasantly at the feeling of his soft lips rubbing against hers. She was in bliss within seconds; who knew the Champion was such a good kisser?

She pushed back with just as much aggression, determined to give him a good make-out-session. Their tongues were firmly pushed up against one another, dancing, swirling…

"May? Are you alright?" She opened her eyes in bewilderment; who had said that? It sounded like Ghost, yet here she was making out with him! She blinked twice and rubbed her eyes quickly, and then nearly passed out. She was still on top of him, but the confused look in his eyes said it all. They had not kissed once! She had imagined the entire thing! Her cheeks were so red that it would've made for a killer Christmas card photo, rosy cheeks and all.

Of course, little did she know, Ash _had _called her cute and had pondered why nobody had her as their own yet. He expected the dark blush, but was very lost when May's eyes turned glassy and she appeared to be in her own little world. It was odd to say the least. After a minute, he had asked if she was alright. After a good ten seconds, she snapped back to the world, a huge blush covering her cheeks. That was… odd.

He grinned; hands placed on her hips. "I believe it is time to go Miss Maple." She only nodded dumbly and gently pushed herself off him and rose to her feet. Ash did the same, returning his Charizard, who had witnessed the entire thing. He held his hand out to May, and they walked into the building with contrasting emotions: for May, nervousness, embarrassment, and a sense of pure excitement. And… for Ash, he walked in with Cheerfulness, Peace, and happiness. He didn't want to let go of May's hand, because it felt as though it belonged there.

They walked in, and were immediately greeted by two familiar faces to Ash, and not to May. He laughed when he saw the two and exclaimed. "I wondered if I would run into you guys!" He hugged both of them tightly and said. "How have you Clemont? Treating your beautiful lass with the respect she deserves?" Korrina smiled happily and said. "He's the best. I'm quite glad he's mine though, I've seen other girls at that party from before eyeing him up. They need to get the message." Her Pokémon partner growled in agreement.

Clemont and Korrina were both there together since they were together and both gym leaders. While May was unaware of this, Ash was not. Ash had been unfortunate enough to not have a conversation with Clemont at The Party Starter; he wouldn't be robbed of another one. Ash spoke cheerfully. "I'm glad you all are here, there's someone I want you to meet."

Korrina spoke with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Ah, and who's this young beauty Ghost? Finally working up the courage to ask out a female eh?" May put that thought in her back pocket for safe keeping; so the Ghost didn't swoon young girls often? She hoped that he only had eyes for her… wait! What was she thinking? She still cared for Ash! At least… she thought she did.

"May Maple is my name. It's a pleasure to meet you both." She said with a genuine smile. Clemont flashed a look of surprise to Ash to which, thankfully, May didn't notice. "It's a pleasure to meet you May! My Name is Korrina! I'm the Gym Leader of Shalour City in the Kalos Region!" She elbowed Clemont, who was snapped out of his thoughts. "A-and I'm Clemont! I'm the Gym Leader of Lumiose City in the Kalos Region! The pleasure is all mine Ms. Maple." He said formally.

Ash talked to May in a serious manner. "I don't have all that much connection with Kalos, but when I do go there, it's to speak with Clemont about an idea for ALT City or a Gym. He helped design and create ALT City from the ground up. Without him, none of this would've been possible!" Korrina rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder and Clemont chuckled nervously. "Well it wasn't all me you know!"

Ash suddenly exclaimed. "You're right! He's here tonight!"

May blinked and looked at her date. "Who's here?"

Clemont looked like a kid inside a candy store. "_Sophocles is here!? Are you serious!? I'm sorry Ghost but I need to find him quickly!" _Clemont grabbed Korrina's hand and tore off in a random direction. May sweatdropped and said in confusion. "Umm Ghost? Who is Sophocles?"

Ash chuckled. "Sophocles was one of the first friends I made when I came to Alola. When I became champion, I enlisted his help." May raised an eyebrow. "With what?" Ash chuckled again. "With the creation of ALT City. He and Clemont were my lead designers. When I met Clemont some time ago… he was in a bad spot. I offered to help him back on track. All he needed were some friends and some work to do. ALT City and Sophocles were the perfect fits. Those two connect perfectly with one another, no doubt about it. Their mutual interests can keep them entertained for hours: Clemont has ideas for inventions, and Sophocles creates them."

May nodded slowly as Ash grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd of people. _'Ghost clearly cares for certain people… but others just seem to bother him. Why is that? What is the deciding factor?' _

It took some time to navigate the maze of people to the main dance floor. The entire building, though one floor, was more than titanic sized. Finally, they reached the dance floor and the moment they did, the entire floor appeared to come alive. May's eyes widened when the DJ and his Pokémon shined a headlight directly on Ash. He grabbed a nearby stool and stood on top of it. He yelled. "How we doing tonight everyone!?" The crowd cheered and roared in response.

"Heyyyy that's what I'm talking about! Tonight, I have one request from all of you: I want you to Party on! From tomorrow on, it's serious battle training and tournament talk for good! So let's chill out, have a good time, break it down and build it up! Kick it up DJ!" The crowd cheered loudly when he finished his tiny speech and Ash hopped down to a rather surprised looking May.

He laughed at her reaction. "What? I can yell at people!" She giggled. "I guess I just didn't expect you to be able to raise you voice at all."

He smirked and playfully wrapped his arm around her waist, catching her off guard. "Hey only I can be smart with people tonight." She whispered in his ear softly. "Mmm is that so?" He whispered back. "Very much." Both looked at one another for a good twenty seconds before they simultaneously burst out laughing at the same time. She giggled. "Your sense of humor needs work."

He responded. "My dancing is better than my stockpile of jokes." He held out his hand to her and grinned. "Care to see?" She smiled and took his hand. She really enjoyed this side of Ghost. On one hand, you had the silent, mystic, and rather cunning version of Ghost that the public knew. But, on the other, you had a lively, happy, and rather sexy version of him that got May a little excited. A solid two hours passed from the time they arrived. They were completely drained from the intense dancing, and were looking for a break.

They got one… in a way. Slow music came on, a song for couples. Ash and May, although they hadn't spent _all _of their time there together, found themselves staring at one another as the song began. He held out his hand to her and she took it with a soft smile. They began slowly dancing, Ash's hands on her waist and May's arms wrapped around his neck. His smile was getting wider and wider as the dance went on.

He spoke quietly. "You really do look amazing tonight May."

May blushed. "I'm sure I'm not that pretty."

He nodded slightly and spoke aloud. "You're right." She looked at him in surprise and confusion. "You're beautiful, not pretty. You shouldn't berate yourself." Her blush intensified. He smiled and removed a hand on her waist to gently stroke a strand of her hair away from her face that had slipped in front of the veil. Nearby, Ash had seen Axel dancing with Whitney, who was cuddling in his chest. Xavier and Malva were dancing very formally with one another, knowing how many people were watching them. July and her boyfriend were looking at each other with unreadable expressions, but Lance and Zandra were MIA.

He spoke quietly. "May, I'd be lying if I said I felt this way about other girls… I don't. I honestly don't have too much experience in this department as well… but, I need to know. Are you having a good time tonight?"

Her eyes widened and she happily hugged him. "Ghost, I've had an amazing time with you! And…" She looked down shyly. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't thinking about you in the same way. I think you're a great guy Ghost… maybe someone I want to get to know further. T-that is if you want to!" She added quickly.

Ash laughed and held her close with a smile on his face. "I'd love that May. I know the battles are soon… but… I'd like for us to meet during the tournament, as in… more dates. Would you be interested?" May, feeling very confident all of the sudden, leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "As long as I'm with you Ghost, I'd love to go with you." It was only then that they realized how close they were to one another. May slowly began to lean in and was ready to take a big first step with the champion. Ghost leaned in as well and placed his hand on her backside gently, preparing for the first step of their relationship to be taken.

Their lips inched closer together. May had totally forgotten about the kiss situation and everything else that had embarrassed her. Ash had forgotten about the fact that he hadn't revealed himself to her yet. Both were just hellbent on kissing the person opposite to them. Only mere inches separated them now. May's eyes were closed, and Ash's were drifting shut as well.

"CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION! WE HAVE A SPECIAL ANNOUNCMENT TO MAKE!" The DJ roared. May silently cursed her poor fortune. Ash noticed her dejected look and placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile. She smiled and leaned up against him. However, she lost her man shortly when the DJ continued.

"We have a special guest with an important announcement to make ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, the first match of this tournament will be revealed by none other than the champion of Alola, the Ghost! Ghost, can you please come up?" May's eyes widened in surprise. She watched Ash navigate all the way to the front of the stage and he yelled out. "Who's ready for some battttttttttlllleeeeeessss?!" The crowd cheered in response.

"That's right! Tonight, I'll be revealing the tournament's first matchup! Here's the catch: It has to be two people here tonight that either leaders, elites, or champions! We're starting this league with a banger! Who knows? It could be Champion Alder vs Champion Lance! It could be myself against one of my elites! I don't know, you don't know, and it will all happen before our very eyes!" In one motion, a wheel appeared on a large screen behind him.

"This wheel will select two trainers at random! Until the top 16, all battles are three on three battles with substitutions and items allowed as well. Rules are subject to change. And now, let's select our first challenger!" He snapped his fingers and turned to the wheel and watched it speed up and slow down. The crowd was cheering as they saw familiar faces on both sides of the wheel. Ash saw Axel's face whiz by on the left side, then Clemont's on the right. As the wheel slowed down, Ash's eyes slightly widened. He saw his face approaching slowly on the left.

The crowd saw it happen. May saw it happen. And Ash most certainly saw it happen. On the left side, the wheel stopped on him. He couldn't believe it; he was going in the first round? Then, a loud noise was heard, almost sounding like a whooshing noise, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Ash saw what had happened, and the matchup that would follow. It would be an interesting opening battle to say the least.

**AN: Well then… this chapter happened. I didn't even know if I'd be able to post on Monday (or this upcoming Monday as well), so, to be safe, I typed up the LONGEST CHAPTER IN MY HISTORY ON FF… Over 9.5k words! This chapter should please advanceshippers as well as keep the battle lovers at bay… just don't keep your hopes up for multiple reasons. You'll see why next chapter.**

**I should mention that Abel Winchine is not my OC. This OC belongs to a FF member named Temporal King, who has been with me since the start of this story and even before that. He gave me permission to use this character, how much I opt to use Abel will be decided later. Thanks so much my guy!**

**Still though, this chapter is enormous! I can't believe I typed this much while on vacation, but it's all for you guys! Let me know what you think of the chapter by leaving a review! Also, if you like it and haven't already, please follow and favorite the story! Every one counts my guys! Hit. That. Button! (Or buttons in this case.)**

**Ash will reveal to May soon hopefully. That is probably when they'll actually get together. They don't kiss first date, until Ash reveals I doubt they'll actually kiss. I hope it was enough for ya'll. I don't know if I will post next Monday (Hence this very long chapter) but if all goes well I'll pound out the chapter nicely. I think that is everything I had to hit for this chapter… I think? Knowing my luck everything will get bolded again. Guess we'll find out. Till the next one boys!**

**LegionZ**


	8. A Battle of Wills

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to the story! Here is Chapter 8 of the Chosen One's Wrath, and boy oh boy has it been getting attention as of recently! To all of you guys out there who hit that follow and favorite button, my thanks to you all! If you haven't done so already, what are you waiting for? Go on ahead! Show your support! Or don't! (Please do… XD) Nah to be honest if you think it's poor don't even worry, you wouldn't be the first to diss my writing, and you won't be the first for me to respond cheerfully and say, "You're entitled to your opinion." Speaking of responding, if you have anything to say to me, please review or PM letting me know! As long as you're not a guest, I can respond to you, and I always do so! My followers can confirm this!**

**Now, enough publicity talk. That's more than I've done in the past three chapters combined. Let's talk story, shall we? Who enjoyed last chapter? I felt kinda guilty about not including an Ash x May moment yet, but I promise they will get together soon! You gotta build up to that exact moment for when it happens, and I already have the scene planned, it just isn't time yet.**

**Also, for those who were expecting an Ash battle, you're about to be disappointed. If you took the time to read the "Fine Print", if you will, you would've noticed I said that you shouldn't keep your hopes up for the battle, you're about to find out why. I promise there will be battles soon, but like I said with the Ash x May reveal, it just isn't time yet. There will be a time, but that time is not now. So bear with me here. **

**I will say this again: If you're new and you enjoy this story, please follow and favorite to help make this story the most popular Ash Betrayal Story on Fanfiction! Alrighty then! Onwards to the story!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 8**

_Last Chapter…_

_All his elites had been given special names when they had been crowned the title of Elites. Zandra's name was Zandra the Ruthless due to her aggressive battle tactics. Before she had become an elite, she was a wandering trainer looking for her calling. She had been utterly destructive in the Alola Champion tournament up until she was met by a young man named Abel Winchine. He had stunned her, countering her attacks with dazzling tactics that eliminated her much earlier than she had been projected. _

_Axel's name was Axel the Hero. He was granted the title of Hero when he was revealed to be a trainer by day, and a vigilante by night, defending HeaHea City from the shadows. Every single day, he and his team got stronger and stronger, and eventually, he was simply known as the Hero of HeaHea. When his identity was revealed, the citizens of HeaHea city thought it was right that he was rewarded, and is still seen as a public hero to this day. Ash made sure Axel was recognized as HeaHea's defender, and he was very grateful for it, as were the people of HeaHea City._

_July's name was July the Beautiful. Being a super model had its perks: she got tons of attention before she became an elite, but even so, she still found time to model. Guys would wish to be with her and Girls would wish to be her. Of course, it came with disadvantages. She was constantly being pursued by Men and Women alike, for different reasons. Once she became an elite, the security of the Pokémon League and ALT City helped reduce the attention, and she was forever grateful of Ash._

_Xavier's name was Xavier the Player. He got this name for multiple reasons: both reasons being as it sounds. He was a master card player; it was how he made his living. Gambling brought him fame as well as fortune. He didn't have as good luck with those of the opposite gender, not because they were uninterested, but rather because he didn't connect with them. He was more into the "Fun Time" rather than the "Long Time." He broke the hearts of some young females, hence his name. He took a rather long break from competitive cards when he joined the ranks of the Elites, and it helped him settle down._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_We need something special, something amazing, something that will launch us into the tournament. It doesn't necessarily have to be the battle itself, but maybe something that happens beforehand."_

_Alder grumbled something under his breath. Steven questioned the orange-haired champion with a curious glance. "What was that Alder?"_

_He spoke quietly. "This sounds like you want this to be extravagant…" Suddenly, Cynthia let out a gasp of surprise. "T-that's it! We can have a Dance!" the male Champions groaned aloud._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_He didn't want to admit the sad truth, but, he had to say it: He still needed a date to the dance, and perhaps this was a way to see if May was honestly telling the truth about Drew. In his mind, sure, it was to gain information. Nonetheless, he nodded and spoke with reserve. "May, there is something I would like your help with. Need I mention that you have full control and option to say no should you want to do so." May nodded slowly, where was Ghost going with this?_

_He cleared his throat and spoke. "It… it came to my attention that there is now a special way to decide who is the opening battle of this ceremony. There is a Dance that is being held for Gym Leaders, Elites, and Champions. The catch of it is that everyone must have a date. And it turns out… I am available." He cleared his throat and spoke as evenly as he could. _

"_May Maple, will you do me the greatest of honors by coming to the dance with me?" May's mind froze completely. Did… Did the Ghost just ask her out on a date? Like the same "Ghost, Champion of Alola" Ghost? She couldn't honestly believe it! But, there was a part of her that legitimately did want to go with this young man. But, she felt as though that if she did go, she would betray Ash again. What choice could she make?_

_She was silent for a moment or two, pondering her choices. Ash, meanwhile, was sweating up a storm. This was an extreme longshot to try and reconnect with May without having to reveal himself, yet. Either way, there really wasn't anyone else that he wanted to go to the dance with. Plus, after talking with her for a good portion of the meet up at The Party Starter, he honestly wasn't sure if she was telling the truth or not. Part of him pleaded that she was, and perhaps a night with her would do just that._

_Still, as the seconds turned into minutes, he began to lose optimism, and he lost it with every second. After a solid three minutes of eerie silence, he spoke in a rush. "Perhaps I shouldn't have asked you Miss Maple, m-my apologies, I shall see you—" He was about to bail on the brown haired beauty, but instead, she interrupted him._

_"I'd love to go with you Ghost."_

_Ash double-taked, not sure he heard that correctly. He stared at her, who had an unreadable look in her eyes. He couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. "Did… did you say you'd go?" May nodded and said quietly. "I still love Ash. I can't help myself there. But… if I begin adventuring outwards, maybe, just maybe… I'll learn to move on. He wouldn't want me hung up on him or any guy for this long. And well…" She giggled. "You're probably the cutest guy I've seen this far. So, yes. I'll happily go with you."  
_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Their lips inched closer together. May had totally forgotten about the kiss situation and everything else that had embarrassed her. Ash had forgotten about the fact that he hadn't revealed himself to her yet. Both were just hellbent on kissing the person opposite to them. Only mere inches separated them now. May's eyes were closed, and Ash's were drifting shut as well._

_"CAN I HAVE YOUR ATTENTION! WE HAVE A SPECIAL ANNOUNCMENT TO MAKE!" The DJ roared. May silently cursed her poor fortune. Ash noticed her dejected look and placed a hand on her shoulder with a smile. She smiled and leaned up against him. However, she lost her man shortly when the DJ continued._

"_We have a special guest with an important announcement to make ladies and gentlemen! Tonight, the first match of this tournament will be revealed by none other than the champion of Alola, the Ghost! Ghost, can you please come up?" May's eyes widened in surprise. She watched Ash navigate all the way to the front of the stage and he yelled out. "Who's ready for some battttttttttlllleeeeeessss?!" The crowd cheered in response._

"_That's right! Tonight, I'll be revealing the tournament's first matchup! Here's the catch: It has to be two people here tonight that either leaders, elites, or champions! We're starting this league with a banger! Who knows? It could be Champion Alder vs Champion Lance! It could be myself against one of my elites! I don't know, you don't know, and it will all happen before our very eyes!" In one motion, a wheel appeared on a large screen behind him. _

"_This wheel will select two trainers at random! Until the top 16, all battles are three on three battles with substitutions and items allowed as well. Rules are subject to change. And now, let's select our first challenger!" He snapped his fingers and turned to the wheel and watched it speed up and slow down. The crowd was cheering as they saw familiar faces on both sides of the wheel. Ash saw Axel's face whiz by on the left side, then Clemont's on the right. As the wheel slowed down, Ash's eyes slightly widened. He saw his face approaching slowly on the left._

_The crowd saw it happen. May saw it happen. And Ash most certainly saw it happen. On the left side, the wheel stopped on him. He couldn't believe it; he was going in the first round? Then, a loud noise was heard, almost sounding like a whooshing noise, and the crowd gasped in surprise. Ash saw what had happened, and the matchup that would follow. It would be an interesting opening battle to say the least._

_My Apologies For a Very Long "Last Chapter"… Enjoy the Chapter Everyone… Present …_

Ash had been more than just a little bit surprised. He first had understood the matchup, then realized what he had just seen happen. It had seemed certain that he would battle. But, when the wheel stopped on him, it suddenly flashed white, blinding out his picture, and in an instant, had replaced his face with a man's face. He had short yellow hair and brown eyes and a bright grin on his face. Ash had recognized him instantly.

It was none other than his own elite, Axel.

His opponent, however, was just as interesting. It was another man, although much older than him, likely by just under ten years. He was a creepy looking guy with black hair that was spiked in two spots. He also had a large dash of black hair shooting right down the center of his face. His light blue eyes appeared to piece right through a normal person's soul. Nearby, July's eyes widened in horror. Could this opening round have been situated any more poorly? She knew these two hated each other. Honestly, she loved them both individually, but when these two saw one another, it was like a switch was flicked in each of them.

Ash announced. "And there you have it folks! Our opening matchup scheduled to open up the tournament tomorrow at exactly 11 in the morning will be Elite Axel of Alola against Elite Grimsley of Unova! This is a classic opening matchup between two of the finest representing each of their regions! Who will emerge victorious? You all better come out and see it tomorrow!"

Ash slipped down off the stage and May, who had been watching him with a smile. "I didn't know you had such a powerful voice." Ash joked. "Comes with the job I'm afraid." She giggled and looked thoughtful. "Isn't Axel one of your elites if he's from Alola then?"

Ash nodded. "You're right. He's one of the best. The good news is that Axel specializes in Electric Types while Grimsley specializes in Dark types." May blinked and looked at Ghost with a bewildered look in her eyes. "Um… Ghost? Why is that a good thing? Electric Types have no type advantage against Dark Types if I recall correctly."

Ash grinned and said. "Smart and beautiful. I really lucked out tonight didn't I?" She blushed. "You're correct May. But, that is a good thing because the same is true Vice Versa: Dark type moves do not have a type advantage on Electric types. Therefore, the match is fair. It is strictly trainer on trainer, Pokémon on Pokémon. It's the best type of battle." Ash said firmly. 

May, meanwhile, was watching Ghost with admiration. _'That kind of mentality in battles, that fighting spirit… it reminds me of Ash. I wonder if he's Ash's long-lost cousin or something… he is almost a carbon copy of Ash. Well, except for the fact that Ash was as dense as could be.' _She pondered. He smiled a little and held his hand out to her. She blinked and stared down at his hand in confusion. He grinned. "Wanna dance?"

Her eyes widened and a huge smile covered her face. Even though he had just declared the tournament open, given out the first matchup, and talked in front of a titanic crowd of people that were amongst the most famous in the world, he still wanted to dance with her. She happily took his hand and he led her on the dance floor.

July, meanwhile, was trying to recuperate. What were the chances of this happening? Axel versus Grimsley? The two who couldn't stand each other like fire and water? She knew how badly things could get here. She was now going to have to figure out who to root for.

She stared up at the massive video screen above her that still showed Axel's cheerful smile on the left, and Grimsley's mischievous grin plastered on his face to the right. How was she going to choose? She knew there had been a small chance of this happening… like an _astronomical _chance of this happening… and it had actually happened. Now… she was going to be forced to choose who she wanted to win.

She had known both of them for what seemed like ages. She had known Axel for more than three years, but she had known Grimsley for more than five for when she was in Unova. She was best friends with Axel, but she was more than that with Grimsley. Still, how could she choose? She cared for both of them in her own way! She shook her head and sat down in shock. It was a miracle that the announcement had come out when he was seemingly gone. She needed this time to rack her mind. She knew the choice she was going to have to make.

She was choosing between her best friend… or her boyfriend.

_May's Hotel… Later that Night…_

Two figures were standing outside the Maple's door. One was a male, the other female. One was taller than the other by a few inches, but both were totally exhausted. The female giggled. "I really need to thank you Ghost… that was a fabulous night."

The male replied. "Only because you were there Miss Maple." She giggled again and said quietly. "I'm serious though. I thought at first you were just asking me out because you needed a date to the dance and because of how Max acted, I was indebted to you or something like that…" Ash grabbed her hands at that slowly and spoke. "I wouldn't do something like that May. I don't believe one person's actions should affect another person in that certain way. I honestly wouldn't, May." She smiled at him and gently wrapped her hand around his with a soft smile on her face.

She murmured. "I… I have a question."

Ghost nodded. "And that is?"

After a silent moment, she spoke. "Would you be interested in hanging out sometime again in the near future? Maybe the day after tomorrow or so?" Ghost was silent for as long as she had been silent. "I would love to May." She perked up visibly. "That's great!" She then simmered down and hugged him out of the blue, startling Ash completely. "Ghost… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interested in you. I want to get to know you more, if you'll allow me to."

Ghost appeared to ponder this for a moment or two before speaking quietly. "I suppose that's reasonable."

May looked at him, arms around his neck. "I'm glad you asked me out tonight. I want us to grow closer… one step at a time." She kissed his cheek and whispered in his ear. "I know where we can go, but I want to surprise you. Come by around Six on the day after tomorrow. If you have a battle, I'll find you so we can reschedule. If not, I'll be waiting for you." She smiled at him and walked into her hotel room and smiled at him one last time before silently closing her door. The moment she did so, Ash silently fist-pumped in the air. He was making progress.

As he flew back on Charizard's back, he was feeling particularly good. He had been hoping for this; it was the May he was hoping to see. But, a part of him was nagging him. Was she being legit with him? Or was she just making it up? Was she in it for the fame and fortune of being "Ghost's Female?" Or did she honestly like him? He shook his head and decided it was best to sleep on that inward debate. After all, it was the dead of night, far after midnight, so he didn't need to worry about it just yet. He saw the majestic Pokémon league standing proudly on the hill above ALT City, and grinned at it. The league and ALT City were symbols of how far he and Alola had come.

When he landed on his balcony, he returned his faithful fire type Pokémon and walked inside the league's common room within a minute, expecting the area to be abandoned. He got quite the surprise. Xavier and Zandra were sitting there with pointed looks towards him. Ash was confused. "What's up? What did I do this time?"

Xavier shrugged. "It's not what you did."

Zandra continued. "It's just July. She's having a rough time right now."

Ash silently cursed. Of course! He had forgotten about the feud with Axel and Grimsley. For some reason, Axel hated Grimsley and vice versa. He never understood what exactly the two hated about one another, but whatever it was, it was very serious, and Axel refused to talk to him or anyone about it. July had been dating Grimsley for over four years now, and Axel had hated him since he had found out who Grimsley was. Either way, it was not good for July, because now she had to choose to root for Axel, her best friend in Alola, or Grimsley, her longtime boyfriend, who, other than Axel, was very friendly to everyone.

Grimsley was a little odd, but overall, he was a friendly guy to all the other elites. Axel insisted Grimsley was not as good as people as people made him out to be, but really had no proof to back it up, so nobody really believed him. Maybe that was why Grimsley was so cold to him? It was merely speculation in Ash's eyes.

"You're right. Where is she? And for that matter, where is Axel?" Zandra shook her head. "July is trying to get some sleep, and likely not succeeding. Axel is outside right now getting training in instead of sleeping. Both of them are taking totally opposite approaches. Axel is more determined than ever to beat Grimsley while July just wants to be left alone."

Of course, these three knew why Axel and Grimsley despised one another. (**AN: But for the story's sake let's not dive into that shall we?)** Ash shook his head in annoyance. Sometimes his elites personal affairs, and even his own from time to time, would bother other elites. This was occasionally directly and other times indirectly.

Ash spoke calmly. "We all know it's best not to interfere with another elites affairs. Should Axel opt to train instead of resting, that's his choice. Should July choose to be alone rather than talk to her friends about it, that's her choice. Besides, tomorrow morning is the battle anyway. It doesn't matter, they'll both have to come out eventually. Let's get some rest, we've got an early day tomorrow."

Xavier nodded and walked away from his fellow elite and champion to his quarters. Zandra murmured quietly, "Good Night" and then walked off. After another moment of silence or two, Ash quietly walked to his bedchamber, his mind deep in thought. Believe it or not, Axel and Grimsley's rivalry was not on his mind. His mind was far elsewhere. It had been an incident that had occurred in between the most recent conversation with his elites and his last dance with May.

_Earlier that Night…_

"I'll be right back!" May quickly ran in the opposite direction of Ash in the direction of the restrooms. In just a matter of seconds, Pikachu was on his shoulder. "Pika Pi?" He questioned curiously.

Ash laughed. "No, don't worry Pikachu. I'm fine, see? May and I are starting to mend fences, hopefully, they'll be completely rebuilt sooner rather than later." The Electric-type cooed happily and nuzzled it's trainer with a happy smile. "Pikaaaaaa…" Ash scratched Pikachu under his chin before something caught his eye.

It was a figure walking in his direction. Ash slightly frowned, something was telling him that this particular trainer was quite strong. The figure was walking towards him across the dance floor at a moderate pace. Pikachu's ears suddenly twitched and he cried out. "Pika! Pikachu Pika!" He pointed at the trainer Ash was watching get closer and closer. As the figure was nearing him, Ash was faintly able to make out some details about the figure.

For starters, this person was clearly male. His mid length brown hair was mildly thick and bushy, but nowhere near Ash's hair. Ash spotted his blue eyes and slightly pale skin. His outfit was rather interesting: a dark camo suit with a white dress shirt to go with it. He also wore a camo bow tie to go with it. He was also sporting one piece of jewelry, the same as Ash: A Mega Necklace. The male appeared to be much younger than Ash, most likely the age of 17 if Ash could give a ballpark range. The boy walked up to Ash and stared at him. Ash stared back.

'_Time for a little cold Ghost-talk.' _Ash thought.

The boy spoke first. "So… word is you're Ghost."

Ash didn't say anything. "All these people here think they've got a chance." He scoffed and then chuckled. "They really haven't seen you battle have they?" Ash couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. This guy didn't sound like he was insulting him, but rather, acknowledging his strength in battle.

Ash spoke. "You've done your homework." He then frowned. This boy seemed familiar… but where did Ash know him from? He couldn't place his finger on it.

The boy shrugged. "Well I've seen you battle firsthand. I was a semi-finalist until Gardens dispatched me." Ash's eyes slightly widened. _THAT _was where he knew this boy from! He also understood why he hadn't recognized him. It had been years since Ash had seen this boy, and he hadn't even battled him. However, someone very close to him _had. _

"You've certainly grown Abel." Ash smirked a little. Abel actually appeared to be taken aback at this, like he didn't expect Ghost to actually know who he was. Ash added with a grin. "I do my homework too." The boy nodded, an emotionless expression on his face. "I suppose I should've known; you _are _the best trainer here after all… well… after me of course." Ash didn't say anything. He knew better than to underestimate this trainer.

He was, after all, the trainer that defeated Zandra in the tournament. However, that was before Abel had been starstruck in the following round by the eventual runner-up of the tournament named Deshiro Gardens. Ash had easily squashed Gardens, only losing two Pokémon while crushing all of Gardens' Pokémon. In the prior rounds, in the top 8, Zandra had been defeated by Abel, who still had two Pokémon left when he was declared the winner. Gardens had bamboozled Abel in the following round with many status conditions that left him desperate. He had fallen just short, knocking out four of Gardens' Pokémon before falling.

Abel Winchine grinned just a little. "You've got modesty Ghost. Anyone else in your position would be bragging about how easy it would be to win." Ash wisely and coldly said. "Overconfidence leads to defeat."

Abel tapped the side of his head while smirking at Ash. "Yet, no confidence at all gives one no battle spirit, wouldn't you agree?" Ash nodded. "I would indeed."

Abel walked up to Ash's side and whispered quietly. "We didn't have the chance to battle in the tournament before. I would've won then… and I will win now. I'm sorry Ghost, but I am going to win this championship and take your crown. Whenever we battle, and I know we will…" He walked slowly past him. "… I will be ready." He then walked out; a calm yet determined expression written all over his face.

Ash and Pikachu didn't look back to face him. Instead, once Ash knew he was gone, he turned to his faithful partner since day one and spoke quietly. "It appears… we have met our match in this tournament. But… he better watch it. After all…" He grinned and spoke in a serious yet joking manner.. "With that kind of overconfidence, we can't lose."

_Present… the following day… Alolan Battle Stadium…_

The crowd was bustling around. Shops were selling various goods and items. But of course, the most bustling place was inside the stadium itself. It was state of the art. The stadium was designed to look like a giant bowl. Sophocles thought it would be perfect because it would seat so many people. The grand total of maximum capacity? Over a hundred _thousand. _All kinds of events were held there, but some of its finest features were those that some fans didn't even see.

That feature was the ray shield. Ash knew how much damage would be caused if many high end battles would be held there, so he insisted that Sophocles and Clemont install a high-tech ray shield to protect the walls and ceiling from all types of attacks.

As Ash sat down, he was silently thanking his lucky stars that he insisted they install the ray shields. He knew Grimsley and Axel were going to be fighting with everything they had today, and although the stadium was new and had experienced some tough battles, this was possibly the toughest battle it would ever face. On Ash's left, stood Grimsley, a soft grin on his face, signaling just how confident he was. And of course, on his right, stood the determined Axel. He looked quite the opposite from Grimsley: Laser-Focused and hellbent on winning.

Ash and his elites were sitting in their private box. Ash could sense the tension from July, who was feeling very off. Her usual cool demeanor was replaced by a nervous, anxious, and worried one. Ash knew she was never like this, and Zandra was trying to comfort her. Xavier muttered to Ash. "Shit is going to fly. These two are going to be battling as if it's the last battle they'll ever have."

Ash nodded in affirmative. "You're right about that. I'm more worried about July. This battle is going to take a toll on her."

Indeed, July was very distressed. She had been unable to sleep. These two never got along. And now, they would be fighting in front of over a hundred thousand people plus those watching on live television. She knew Axel and Grimsley, and on the outside, they were both the same. They both shared calm and cool personalities; unlike Xavier, it was not easy to rile them up. However, the two of them just loathed one another for some reason. She never understood it.

Grimsley called across the battlefield. "Oh Axel? Do try to not mess up this battle, we wouldn't want any accidents now would we?" Axel frowned. Grimsley was more confident than usual. "We'll see about that Grimsley, if anyone's having the accidents, it's gonna be you!" He yelled back.

"That so? Hm… delusional as always. You know, acting like I didn't know you was the equivalent of putting a small bandage on a cankerous wound; it was not pleasant nor… effective… in the slightest." He chuckled. Axel fired back. "Pretending that I didn't know you wasn't a field day for me either you know."

Grimsley scoffed. "Oh, please… as if _anyone_ could be unattracted to me… take your dear July for example…" Axel growled and on the sidelines, July shook her head. Grimsley and Axel. Fire and Water. Hot and Cold. It didn't matter. They just didn't mix.

The referee had seen enough of the pregame. "This battle is between Elite Four Grimsley of Unova against Elite Four Axel of Alola! This is a three on three battle with substitutions allowed. Furthermore, Pokémon may not hold items in this battle. By rule, Elite Axel will show first, and have the first move. Grimsley will show second, and have the second move. The winner of this battle will move on in the tournament to the second round. The loser will be eliminated. Trainers ready?" He raised both flags and yelled.

"MAY THE FIRST BATTLE, BEGIN!" Axel gripped a pokeball and yelled, "Galvantula, shock and awe!" The bug and electric type mix took the battlefield with a cry of its name and prepared for the most important battle of its life. Grimsley majestically took a pokeball out and called out with a melodic voice. "Drapion, role call!" The dark and poison Pokémon lined up opposite and roared loudly when it saw it's opponent.

Meanwhile, back in the seats, the Alolan Elites had different reactions. Zandra commented aloud. "Axel getting put up as the first show didn't help him, that's for sure. Galvantula was supposed to be a secret weapon!"

Xavier nonchalantly pointed out. "Yeah, but either way, Grimsley was almost certainly going to be using Drapion, so it's not like Axel shouldn't have expected that. Plus, if he's really dialed in, he can beat Drapion without having a type advantage." Both Ash and July stayed quiet as they watched the first battle commence. The referee raised both flags once more and yelled. "BATTLE COMMENCE!"

Axel called out the first move of the tournament. "Galvantula, begin with Electroweb!" Galvantula charged up what appeared to be an electric spider web and tossed it at the opposing Pokémon. Grimsley chuckled. "Drapion, slice through it with Slash!" Drapion's arms turned white and it swung around, slicing through the attack like sand paper.

"Now it's our turn to jump on the offensive! Use Fire Fang!" Drapion speedily charged the bug with its mouth engulfed in flames. Axel was ready. "Now! Hop on Drapion's back!" Just as Drapion clamped down, it was caught off guard when Galvantula disappeared. It reappeared on its back before it could react. "Electroweb!" From point blank range, there was nothing that Drapion could do to evade the attack, and was struck hard by the Electric type move, and suffered a speed reduction to go along with it.

Grimsley frowned. "Drapion! Use your claws to navigate the field better! Use fire fang until you catch it!"

Drapion nodded and digging it's pincers into the ground, it was able to swiftly lunge at Galvantula. Axel ordered. "Jump up and use thunderbolt!" Once more, the super effective move missed and the bug jumped high into the air only to launch a massive and jagged bolt of lightning. Grimsley grimaced. This wasn't going according to plan yet. Axel looked prepared against him, which was not good in the slightest for the Unova elite.

"Galvantula, use Agility!" The bug and electric mix began appearing and disappearing at will around Drapion, who couldn't pinpoint the location of it. Axel smirked, and Grimsley paled. He was falling behind, and both of them knew it. July frowned slightly. Axel was acting very confident, while Grimsley wasn't. What was going on? Then… she saw it.

Axel saw an opening. "Get it! Latch onto it's back and give it another Electroweb!" Grimsley smirked. _'About time.' _

"Now! To your right! Catch it!" In one swift motion, Drapion swung it's body a full 180 degrees and snatched the bug type in it's one claw, immobilizing it completely. The crowd gasped in shock. The tables had turned. Axel paled; he had forgotten about Drapion's physical abilities! This wasn't good for him. Grimsley made it worse. "Toxic!"

A giant purple blob was hurled at the electric and bug type, and when it connected, it badly poisoned it. Axel cursed, but Grimsley wasn't done. "Toss it up and use Venoshock!" Drapion hurled the tiny bug type up in the air and fired off another poison type move at it's opponent. Axel knew he could not let that move hit. He yelled. "Galvantula, regain focus and spin out of the way!"

Just before it connected, Galvantula managed to spin in the air and avoid the move that would deal a tremendous amount of damage. It landed perfectly on the ground. Axel knew he couldn't use physical moves, regardless of Drapion's reduced speed. "Signal Beam!" Galvantula released a rainbow-like beam towards the dark type.

"Drapion! Use your tail to launch yourself over the beam, then use Venoshock in midair!" Axel's eyes bulged open when he saw Drapion sail over Galvantula's move and fire a purple blast at his Pokémon. "Avoid it!"

And that was when Axel realized his mistake, and Grimsley knew he had Axel trapped. Because Drapion was still in midair, it prevented Galvantula from jumping. The problem was that Venoshock had been fired over Galvantula's head, not specifically meant to hit it, but _trap _it. It forced Galvantula to go in one direction: _closer _to Drapion. Grimsley took his shot. "Fire Fang!"

Drapion struck from above, ramming into a completely surprised Galvantula, sending it flying backwards. "Oh No! Galvantula!" Axel cried. Grimsley roared. "Venoshock!" A giant explosion covered the field after that command. Axel covered his eyes and winced when the smoke cleared. Grimsley and Drapion were both still standing. When the smoke was completely gone, the crowd saw Galvantula sitting in the bottom of the pile, completely knocked out.

"Galvantula is unable to battle, Drapion wins!" The crowd exploded and Grimsley nodded to himself a few times. This was like clockwork for him. Axel was gritting his teeth. With Galvantula already poisoned, the move did an absurd amount of damage. Add that with the fire fang and there was no chance for the poor bug type.

Meanwhile, Ash and his elites had mixed reactions. Xavier whistled. "Whoa… Grimsley knocked off Axel's first Pokémon. That's pretty impressive."

Zandra nodded. "You can say that again."

Ash shrugged. "Wasn't that impressive really." His elites, excluding July, stared at him in bewilderment. "What do you mean?" Ash pointed out. "If I didn't know better I'd say Grimsley wanted to get Axel's confidence up to lure him in. Drapion isn't a Pokémon you'd think would be that physical, but it is. You don't see a lot of Drapion out here in Alola, so Grimsley may have been banking on it. Whether he was or he wasn't, in ended in his favor."

Grimsley grinned. "That's how you start a battle! A phenomenal battle Drapion, as per usual!" Drapion roared its name and got into a battle stance, preparing for its next challenger. Axel gripped his next pokeball and yelled. "Zebstrika, shock and awe!" The electric zebra took the field and cried out its name loudly. Ash was bewildered. After seeing what Drapion had just done to his Galvantula, Ash had to wonder why Zebstrika was out. It didn't take long for him to come up with a solution. _'Ahhhh it's because of his last Pokémon…' _He nodded to himself.

Grimsley called out the first move. "Drapion, use Toxic!" The dark and poison type launched a purple blob at the electric zebra. Axel countered. "Show them your speed! Evade it and prepare for Wild Charge!" Zebstrika charged towards the attack and then at the last second, juked left, evading it. Electricity began circuiting from the animal, and Grimsley decided to stop it before it could get too much power.

"Counter it with Slash, quick!" Drapion charged at Zebstrika, and Axel's eyes gleamed. That was what he was looking for! "Quick Zebstrika! Stop Wild Charge!" Zebstrika immediately stopped moving, allowing Drapion to charge at it. Grimsley, meanwhile, was very confused. He had faced off against his fair share of Zebstrika before, after all, they were native to Unova, so he knew that he couldn't be banking on Static since it wasn't possible for Zebstrika to have that ability. So what was it?

It didn't take long to find out. "Use Ion Deluge!" The next thing Drapion knew, it smashed into Zebstrika with as much power as it could possibly muster with the slash attack, believing to have crushed its body entirely. It then got a good view of his opponent and blinked in confusion. Zebstrika was completely unharmed!

"Hm? What's this?" Grimsley pondered aloud in confusion. Axel smirked. "You're about to find out, and you won't like it! Thunder Wave!" Before Grimsley could even blink, Zebstrika was gone and had reappeared to the side of Drapion.

"To your left! Catch it!" Drapion reached out for Zebstrika, but was caught flat-footed when it totally whiffed, blinded by the pure speed of Zebstrika. Then, it howled in pain as Zebstrika paralyzed the poison type. Grimsley grit his teeth, all of Axel's Pokémon were blazing fast! He growled and called out. "Toxic!" Drapion estimated a spot and fired off the move. It missed easily without evening giving a command.

"Use Wild Charge!" As Zebstrika rushed Drapion, Grimsley called out with a slightly desperate tone. "Use your arms to swing out of the way!" However, with Paralysis, there was no chance of evading it. Zebstrika roared and slammed into Drapion, sending it flying across the battlefield. It landed in front of a totally surprised Grimsley.

"Drapion is…" The referee began but was cut off as Drapion roared and got to its feet. Axel was caught off guard and Grimsley saw a chance to take advantage of the situation. "Quick! Use Toxic!" It took a step back to fire off the move, and lined it up perfectly with Zebstrika. Then, naturally, paralysis kicked in once again, making it lose concentration and stop the move.

'_Shit.' _Grimsley groaned.

"Finish it! Unleash Façade!" Grimsley's eyes bulged open in horror. That move would undoubtedly knock out Drapion should it hit. He yelled. "Quick! Hit it with Venoshock!" Drapion was able to attack this time, and as Zebstrika charged it, Drapion was able to hit it with a poison type move, making Zebstrika lose concentration completely and roll out of façade. Axel growled under his breath. "Get up and try it again!" Zebstrika charged in, Façade ready to go.

"Slash!" A large explosion blanketed the field instantly. However, the entire crowd already knew the result. Nobody had seen Drapion even get the move off. And when the dust settled, it was obvious that their eyes had not deceived them. Drapion was lying on it's stomach relatively close to Grimsley with swirls in its eyes. The referee raised his flag. "Drapion is unable to battle, Zebstrika wins!"

Axel fist pumped. "Hell yeah! That's how it's done!"

Ash was impressed. "He outthought Grimsley there, though I doubt he's ever heard of Ion Deluge before in all honesty."

And back on the battlefield, as he returned his fallen Pokémon, Grimsley wasn't afraid to question what he had just seen. "Care to indulge me on what tactic I just saw?"

Axel shrugged and explained. "Ion Deluge is a move that temporarily makes all normal type moves turn into electric type moves. When I used that move, you hit Zebstrika with Slash, a normal type move. It negated all damage and boosted his speed with—" Grimsley interrupted. "Lightning Rod. You then used that extra speed to paralyze Drapion and finish it with Façade. That is honestly an impressive battle tactic… but let's see if you can handle this one Axel. Liepard, Role Call!" The purple cat took the field opposite to the Zebra. Both Pokémon exchanged glares with one another. Axel and Grimsley frowned at one another and prepared to continue.

_July…_

'_What the heck are these two doing? They're bringing out their very best… why do these two hate one another? I've never seen Grimsley so serious, and I've never seen Axel this determined. Even worse, their Pokémon are going to take a beating until someone finally falls.' _She pondered and shook her head.

Ever since last night, she still had been unable to come to a conclusion on who to support. Both of them meant so much to her, but she knew if she rooted for one, the other would retaliate. Therefore, she could not support either side. Axel always tried to convince her Grimsley wasn't right for her, and Grimsley would always try to convince her that she needed to distance herself from Axel.

How could she choose from one another? Both held special places in her heart; she couldn't betray either of them. Therefore, being neutral was the best side to join.

_Battlefield…_

"Liepard, begin with Aerial Ace!" The purple cat charged at Zebstrika and began to prepare to launch the flying type move. Axel countered. "Wild Charge!" The two attacks collided, fighting for dominance. Then, finally, it was Wild Charge that overpowered Aerial Ace, and Liepard was sent flying backwards, lying on its stomach in the middle of the battlefield. The Alolan natives cheered for their elite.

Grimsley frowned. This Zebstrika was certainly a nuisance. But then, an idea came to him. It was kind of a douchey move, but it was a legit play. He waved his hand to the side and ordered. "Liepard, use Taunt!" As his Electric-Type became subject to the taunt, Axel blinked in confusion, that wasn't so bad. He was fairly certain Liepard didn't know any normal type moves, and it couldn't be paralyzed thanks to its ability Limber.

"What was the point of that Grimsley?" Axel said in confusion. Grimsley swiftly made his move.

"Liepard, return!" Axel's eyes widened a little when Grimsley yelled. "Krookodile! Role Call! Use Earthquake!"

Ash gasped in shock, if Krookodile was his last Pokémon, Axel was in deep trouble. Sure enough, the red alligator took the battlefield and immediately unleashed one of the most feared ground type moves. An explosion covered the middle of the field as a result. Axel grimaced when he saw his faithful electric type still standing, though it was panting heavily and wincing from the strain of the attack.

It was now that he realized how limited his options were here. If he swapped, it was likely that Krookodile could grab a free move on his starter Pokémon. He couldn't let that happen, but if he kept Zebstrika in, he was essentially a sitting duck. With Taunt still active, he couldn't use any status condition moves, taking out half of his rotation already. Being a ground type meant Wild Charge did nothing, and that left Façade. If only Taunt wasn't active…

"Zebstrika! Run in and strike on all sides with Façade! Don't let Earthquake hit!" Unfortunately for Axel, Grimsley knew this move was coming, since it was the only thing Axel could do, and he had a tactic for it.

"Time for Foul Play!" When he heard that command, Ash looked away, knowing the battle was over. He wasn't wrong. Krookodile grabbed Zebstrika when it was attacking and as it struggled, unleashed the powerful dark type move in one fell swoop. Zebstrika was slammed into the ground, and didn't get up. It wouldn't be moving anytime soon either.

"Zebstrika is unable to battle, Krookodile is the Winner!" The entire stadium cheered loudly, shocked at how easily and how fast Zebstrika was blown out of the water by Grimsley's most dominant Pokémon, at least against electric types. Xavier commented aloud. "Axel wasn't thinking on his feet there, that's why he got knocked off that round. He needs to stay constantly focused. Now his entire tournament hinges on his best Pokémon."

July, for the first time, finally spoke. "Yeah, but he's going to win. I know he is." The other three in the box looked at her in utter shock, not believing what they had just heard: words. She blinked and stared at them when she realized she had been eerily silent for a very long time. She blushed and said. "W-what? Focus on the battle and not me!" She defended herself. The other three looked away from her one by one and she finally let out a breath of air she had supposedly been holding in. _'Come on Axel… I know you can win.' _She thought.

Meanwhile, back on the field, Axel was staring at his faithful partner, who had a grin on his face. Grimsley casually returned Krookodile and said in a confused tone. "I honestly expected more from you Fractera. What's going on with you today? Come on, give me a battle!"

On cue, Zeraora walked onto the battlefield and stood between both trainers, facing off against Grimsley's Liepard. "If you want a battle… I'll give you a war!" Zeroara took a fighting stance and Grimsley smirked a little.

"Liepard, use taunt!" Like with Zebstrika, the taunt worked on Zeraora. Only this time, it wasn't going to matter. Axel had a plan to knock off this Liepard in just two moves, if everything went to plan. "Use Plasma Fists on the ground! Let it rip!" What was seen next was seen only in films. In one full swing, Zeraora let out a loud battle cry and raised both its arms, which were a glowing light blue, and smashed the ground with every ounce of strength it could muster.

It was a gorgeous spectacle for onlookers. An explosion mixed with blue electricity and boulders created a fissure straight at Liepard, who was too mesmerized by the spectacle to even move out of the way. Xavier screamed, "Hell Yeah!" when the move hit. An explosion covered the field, and a moment later, Liepard was sent hurtling through the air, making the crowd gasp in shock. Ash chuckled. "I'll never get old of seeing moves like that."

Liepard smashed into the ground and desperately attempted to regain focus. It was desperately close to fainting, but it was giving Grimsley one last move to use. Axel, however, wouldn't allow it. "Finish it. Use Close Combat!" Zeraora began to punch and kick Liepard, who cried out in pain every time a blow connected. After a solid ten seconds of consistent connections, Zeraora gave one last mighty yell and smashed Liepard directly in its head.

Liepard got sent hurtling backwards, did a front flip, then landed on its face, completely knocked out and out for the count. The referee made the call. "Liepard is unable to battle, Zeraora is the winner!" The crowd let out a cheer for Axel, who acknowledged the cheer modestly.

July couldn't contain her shock. "B-but how? His Pokémon barely sustained any sort of damage! How was Liepard knocked out so easily?"

Ash grinned. "It's the bond Zeraora and Axel share. It's their sacred power. Did you forget about that?" July blinked and replied in bewilderment. "But that would mean he's fighting for someone close to him… but who?" Ash smirked a little when she wasn't looking. For someone so intelligent and beautiful, she was rather dull when it came to Axel.

Back on the battlefield, Grimsley nodded sourly then called out his faithful partner. Zandra pointed out. "Both of them have used two of their four moves a piece. I wonder what moves each of them know."

The referee announced. "This is the final battle of this matchup. Whoever wins this fight will be moving on, the loser will be eliminated. Battle Commence!"

Axel yelled. "Get ready for anything!"

Grimsley ordered. "Outrage!" Krookodile charged at the electric type with a loud roar. Axel ordered. "Evade left!" Zeraora did as it was told. Grimsley commanded. "Again!" Axel calmly said. "Just keep rolling." Zeraora continued to elude Krookodile, who was becoming increasingly more and more agitated by the Pokémon's agility. However, after just a few more seconds of misses, and Krookodile suddenly stopped.

It began to stumble back and forth, signaling it's confused status. Axel didn't waste any time. "Quickly! Use Bulk Up!" Grimsley frowned a little and could only watch as Zeraora's attack and defense went up once, then twice. After the second time was completed, Krookodile stopped stumbling around and realized what went wrong. Grimsley said loudly.

"Earthquake!" Krookodile let out a mighty roar and began shaking the ground. Axel knew this tactic and also knew how to counter it. "Jump Across the Rocks and use Close Combat!" Grimsley's eyes widened in horror as Zeraora hopped across the shaking rocks with athleticism before jumping straight at Krookodile and preparing to strike it with an agile blow. Suddenly, Grimsley's eyes widened: A plan!

"Now! Foul Play!" Axel's eyes bulged open in horror. "Oh No! Get Out of there!" Too late. As Zeraora looked back to hear the cry of terror, Krookodile snagged its leg and tossed it into the crowd, landing with a sickening crunch. Krookodile wasn't nearly finished. It swung Zeraora around and around rapidly before once more smashing it into the rocks beneath it two more times. It then tossed Zeraora up into the air and Grimsley cried out. "Outrage!"

Zeraora didn't stand a chance by the looks of it. Zeraora was getting abused by the powerful dragon type move and it was clear to everyone. The Alola fans were eerily silent while the Unova supporters were celebrating loudly. With one final punch, Zeraora was sent hurtling into the wall behind Axel, who whirled around in horror. The crowd looked on in shock as they awaited to see the condition of Axel's last Pokémon.

After a few seconds, Zeraora fell to the ground. Then, after a moment, it slowly arose to it's feet. However, there was no mistaking the fact that it was panting hard. Still though, Zandra couldn't believe it. "How on earth did Zeraora survive that punishment from Krookodile?" Ash replied with a shrug. "Multiple reasons. Aside from the fact that Zeraora is Axel's most conditioned Pokémon, Foul Play is a dark type move, making Foul Play just barely effective in the first place. Outrage is powerful, but don't forget Bulk up boosts both Attack and Defense, therefore nullifying the damage of both Foul play and Outrage more."

"Zeraora, use Bulk up again!" Axel ordered. Zeraora panted but did as its trainer commanded, boosting up its attack and defense once more before Krookodile snapped out of its confusion. Ash shook his head. "That was the wrong move to choose." Sure enough, Grimsley caught onto it as well. "Krookodile, snap out of it and quickly use Earthquake!"

As if by magic, Krookodile listened to its trainers call and snapped out of the confusion before letting out a mighty roar and shaking the ground. What happened next befuddled even Ash.

"Plasma Fist's on the ground!" The whole stadium gasped in surprise, and that included Axel's own box of elites. July couldn't believe the command he had just given. "Is he crazy? There's no way that will work! Why not just evade the entire attack?" Xavier spoke nothing, only watching his close friend with bewilderment on his face. It was a few seconds later when Ash suddenly said. "Wait… maybe it's not the worst idea."

"_HUH?" _His elite box said in disbelief.

Back on the field, Zeraora let out a cry and jumped up. It's fists glowed and then it smashed it's arms onto the ground, creating the electric fissure that it had created before. Then, the most magnificent thing happened. The electric explosion blew up the shaking ground in front of it and created a straight path to its target: Krookodile. The stadium gasped in shock and surprise. Grimsley couldn't believe what had just happened.

Axel roared. "Now! Use Close Combat!" Fueled with Adrenaline, Zeroara let out a mighty cry and appeared right in front of Krookodile and began its attack. The more and more Krookodile was hit, the louder and louder the stadium got. A chant began from the Alola Natives, roaring. "Zer-aor-a! Zer-aor-a! Zer-aor-a!" Sensing the battle slipping away, Grimsley desperately initiated an escape plan. "Foul Play!" To everyone's shock, it worked. Krookodile managed to regain it's focus enough to the point that even through all the abuse it was going through, it managed to counter Zeraora and throw the electric type away. Zeraora hit the ground hard and slowly arose to its feet.

The move, however, had taken a huge toll on Krookodile. Combined with the various times that Bulk up had been used, Close Combat did an absurd amount of damage to Krookodile and it was obvious just how much damage each of them had sustained. Both the electric type and ground type were beaten and battered, but neither one wanted to give in.

Both Axel and Grimsley could tell, however, that the end of the battle was near. Whoever landed the most decisive strike next would likely win the fight. They looked into one another's eyes and knew that they would hate each other until the very end. At the same time, they cried out. "Outrage!" "Close Combat!"

The two attacks collided, neither one giving into the other. After a short time, it was over. They were both panting hard, bruised and wounded. Zeraora looked like it would collapse at any moment, and Krookodile, though confused from Outrage, looked like it was on the verge of collapsing.

Axel saw his chance though. "Zeraora! Use Close Combat Once more!" Grimsley's eyes widened, knowing Krookodile would be done if that move hit. But, fate favored him that moment. Zeraora took two steps forwards, then fell to its knees, beyond injured from the moves that it had sustained earlier. It took a bit to recover before it finally pushed itself to its feet and was able to fight again. By this time, Krookodile had recovered from confusion as well.

"Zeraora…"

"Krookodile…"

"Let's Finish This!" They yelled at the same time. "Hyper Beam!" They both began charging up the massive beam in preparations for the final move. Zeraora and Krookodile were both on the verge of passing out, and the entire audience could see this and was anxious for their condition. July could see just how wounded and damaged both of their Pokémon were and was hurt by the fact knowing that both of these two were pushing their limits to the absolute maximum for Axel and Grimsley.

Finally, she could take it no longer. "_BOTH OF YOU STOP!" _Regardless of how far away she was from the actual battlefield, both of them turned up to stare at her, recognizing her voice immediately. "Look at what you're doing to your Pokémon! They've given their all! Stop this at once! Nobody is going to blame you if you lose! Look at how injured they are, yet you keep pushing them!" She cried at them, catching the attention of everyone around her.

Axel took the time to stare at his faithful partner, and then realized what a horrible mistake he had made. He saw just how wounded his partner was and now saw the error of his ways. Blinded by his hate for Grimsley, he had been willing to do anything to defeat him… even at the cost of his own partner's wellbeing.

Grimsley, meanwhile, looked at his partner in horror all the same. He saw the bruises all over Krookodile and realized that Krookodile had likely given it's all and nothing could change that. He knew this battle was over anyway, and that both Pokémon had put every ounce of effort they could, yet he kept demanding more. Guilt took over him.

"Please! _PLEASE! _Call off the battle! Please!" July cried.

Axel and Grimsley stared at one another across the battlefield, eyes locked. Neither one of them seemed to be willing to break the glance first, neither one wanting to be the one to concede first.

But, eventually, someone did.

Axel spoke. "Zeraora, stop the attack. You gave it your all. We need to get you checked out at the Pokémon center." The electric type looked back at his trainer with a small smile on his face as it stopped charging the attack, as if it was thanking Axel from stopping it from battling anymore. The crowd cheered when it heard Axel tell his partner that he did a great job and didn't need to battle.

Grimsley slightly smirked. "Hate to break up this reunion, but if you aren't a winner, you're a loser! Unleash the attack!" Krookodile let out a roar and fired off the beam at a totally vulnerable Zeraora. The entire crowd gasped in shock as Grimsley had ordered his Pokémon to attack a defenseless Pokémon. Axel's eyes widened in horror and he sprinted out onto the battlefield and threw himself in front of Zeraora. July screamed as an explosion covered the field. "AXEL!"

Ash was standing up and leaning over the ledge of the railing protecting them from falling, a horrified look on his face.. Xavier and Zandra were attempting to calm July, who was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. She wailed his name over and over again, knowing that he had just listened to her pleas, only to get killed by the opposing Pokémon.

The referee raised his flag. "Zeraora is unable to—" He stopped talking when he saw a slightly green glow coming from inside the smoke and dust. Then, as the smoke and dust totally faded, the crowd exploded into cheers.

Ash chuckled in relief. "Zeraora sure picked a good time to learn that."

July pushed herself up and stared over the ledge and gasped. Zeroara had a large ray shield around itself and Axel, who was staring at his partner in shock. She squealed in joy, tears still streaking down her face. "Zeraora learned Protect!"

Zeraora lowered the shield and Axel grinned at his faithful partner. "Thank you Zeraora. You saved me." Zeraora nodded. "Ra!" It said.

He then walked back to his side of the field and got into a battle stance. "Zeraora, let's finish this!" His Pokémon, who seemingly had gotten a third wind, looked ready for anything. Axel roared. "Now, we become one!" Crossing his arms, and beginning to punch in front of him, he finished with a dominant pose, and yelled. "Unleash your inner powers!"

Zeraora let out a cry and charged a stunned Krookodile, and just before the move connected, Axel yelled. "All-Out Pummeling! Finish it!"

The explosion that blanketed the battlefield was blinding. Dust and smoke emerged from the Z-move, and Ash let out a whoop of joy. Xavier stared down, waiting to see the ending result. How Zeraora was still standing was miraculous. It looked as though it was about to be knocked over instantly by a gust of wind. Grimsley silently pleaded for a miracle, while the audience awaited to see the end result of the multiple explosions blanketing the alligator.

The referee peered into the smoke, and must've seen something, because he raised his hand and announced. "Krookodile is unable to battle, Zeraora wins! Therefore, the winner of this battle and the trainer moving on to the next round is Axel Fractera representing Alola!"

Zandra jumped up and cried out. "_YES!" _The entire crowd followed suit, roaring in cheers from the magnificent first battle. Axel fell to his knees and sighed in relief. He then ran over to his faithful partner and began applying various medicines to him, making sure he would be okay to take over to the Pokémon Center. Grimsley couldn't believe he had lost; he was so close! He had almost squashed his rival once and for all, and now, his dreams of winning the tournament were gone. At least he still had July, otherwise, he was unsure of where he'd be.

"Ahem." He turned and surprisingly saw none other than the Ghost beside him with an unreadable expression on his face. He placed a hand on Grimsley's shoulder and said quietly. "Walk behind you and out the doors. Take the first right you see, tell him Ghost sent you. Don't question it." He then walked to the referee and began talking to him.

Grimsley scratched his head in confusion but did as he was asked and walked to the doors in which he entered. Why was he being asked to go there? There had to be a good reason. He walked out of the stadium with slight applause but not much more than that, as Grimsley had ordered a move that could be considered a cheap shot to many. He shrugged it off. He couldn't let his emotions get in the way, yet he had still lost. He refused to let Axel get the best of him, but it had happened anyway.

He opened the door nearest to the right and stepped inside. It was fairly dark in the room and he cautiously gripped a pokeball on his belt. It slammed shut and then the lights flicked on. He was more than just a little surprised to see the rest of the Ghost's elites standing there, with the lone exception of Axel. He only spoke to one of them, however. "July! Darling! I'm so glad to—" he approached her for a hug, only to be smacked upside the cheek.

He stumbled back and rubbed the spot where she had hit him. Tears were in her eyes.

"So, this is what it came to? You and Axel are out there fighting over _me_, and that's what you decide to do? To prove your "Unwavering Loyalty, Sincerity, and Dedication" to our love, your first action is to attack a defenseless Pokémon with one of the most dangerous attacks known to man?

_'This is not good.' _Grimsley silently groaned. "M-my love… I m-made a mistake…" _SMACK. _Two times the charm. He stumbled backwards again; his eyes widened in disbelief. She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Mistake? Yeah, I made a mistake too. That was choosing you over Axel. He's always been there for me, telling me just how bad of a boyfriend you were."

She sniffed and said angrily. "I always defended you, while he claimed you were nothing but selfish, and I refused to believe him."

Grimsley stuttered. "B-b-but that's not true…" Xavier pointed out from the side. "Then what exactly do you call what we just saw?" Grimsley glared at Xavier. "Back out of this, _Pretty Boy. _I'm trying to have a conversation with my girlfriend."

"You were." July growled.

Grimsley looked back at her. "Perfect, then let's continue."

She shook her head, her beautiful face stained with tears. "No, you _were _my boyfriend. And I _was _your girlfriend." Grimsley blinked before laughing hysterically. The Alola Elites watched him with emotionless expressions. Once he finally calmed down, he chuckled and said. "You? Dump me? I must've not heard that right. Are you certain that's the best course of action?"

Just then, Axel walked into the room with a bewildered look on his face. Xavier's eyes lit up when he saw his close friend, and Zandra smiled at him. Grimsley narrowed his eyes in anger when he saw the yellow haired boy walk into the room. July, however, had a mischievous smile on her face; the same one all her friends and elites saw her have every single day.

She walked right up to Grimsley and told him with a grin. "How's this for certain?" She then kicked him right in between the legs, making him wheeze in pain and collapse with clutching the area in between. He moaned in discomfort while he desperately tried to stop the pain that was attacking his private area.

Axel chuckled, but July wasn't finished. "And how's _this _for certain?" She grabbed the sides of Axel's face in her hands and crushed her mouth to his. Grimsley looked like he was watching a bus about to run him over. Xavier's eyes bulged out in complete shock. Zandra's jaw dropped in shock at the boldness of July.

After a few more seconds, she broke the kiss and stared at Axel, who had a dark blush covering his entire face. The blush faded and he said with a silly grin plastered on his face, "If I had known that was coming, I would've forfeited and ran all the way here." That was, apparently, the right thing to say, because July laughed happily and kissed him on the lips once more, as Axel wrapped his arms around her waist, determined to never let her go.

_Battlefield… Traitors…_

Max scoffed. "Clearly, these people from Alola can't battle that well. He nearly lost to that guy and his Pokémon were nearly completely defeated. This tournament should be a piece of cake, right guys?"

Bonnie cooed next to her boyfriend happily. "Of course babe! You'll easily win this tournament! First you'll crush anyone who gets in your way, all the way up to battling that jerk, Ghost! Next, you'll win the championship, and then we're rich!" The traitors all sweatdropped at Bonnie's simple plan. Serena spoke nothing and kept quiet, fiddling with her thumbs. Cilan said. "Still my friend, don't forget; both of those two were both Elites. They are some of the best in the world, don't underestimate them."

Max laughed arrogantly and grinned. "It's _them _who shouldn't underestimate _me!_ I'm gonna crush each and every person here, mark my words!" Misty, who was sitting nearby, pointed out. "Hey! Don't forget, Trip and I are here too! Cilan is participating as well!" She leaned up against trip with a seductive grin on her face. Bonnie giggled and teased her boyfriend. "Me too, babe. Don't get too confident!"

Iris waved her hand dismissingly. "I would be shocked if you all don't make it that far though, let's be real! You guys are easily winning this tournament, no problems at all!" The group agreed loudly before Trip hushed them all. "Guys, quiet down! Ghost is about to talk!"

Sure enough, back down on the battlefield, Ghost walked onto the referees podium and roared. "How are we all doing out there?" The crowd exploded into cheers and Ghost nodded once or twice, making sure the crowd was satisfied. "Heyyyy that's right guys! Before we reveal the tournament bracket, let me give a huge thanks to Axel and Grimsley for a stellar opening matchup!"

The crowd let out a loud roar in response, thanking the two elites for their time. He grinned and pointed to the big screens around the stadium and called out. "There are four brackets that this tournament has been split into! Since there are exactly five hundred and twelve competitors participating in this tournament, that means there shall be exactly one hundred and twenty eight participants in each bracket. The winners of each bracket will automatically receive prizes set up by the committee, regardless of whether you are crowned the champion or not."

He continued. "If you'll all look at your Pokedex's right _now…" _Every competitor from around the stadium looked at their pokedex's. "… it will tell you which bracket you will be in. The brackets are labelled by Pokémon: The Arceus Bracket, the Girantina Bracket, the Zekrom Bracket, and the Yvetal Bracket. While all of the brackets are now posted right now at various places inside this stadium, you can look for your competition on the four big screens. You can see the outline of your Pokémon in the corner of your pokedex right now, that coordinates with a big screen right here in the stadium. Look for your name and see who your opponent is."

As trainers began searching for their matchup, Ash chose to do the same thing. He took out his pokedex and saw in the right side corner a symbol of the legendary Unova Pokémon, Zekrom, the fearsome Electric-Dragon-type. He then turned ninety degrees to his left to see who got placed where. His elites had all gotten separated, with the exception of himself and Axel, who had also been placed in the Zekrom bracket.

He searched for his first opponent and found her. She looked like she was a fairly attractive girl with curly blonde hair a sexy smile. Her dark brown eyes were lit up with mischief. Ash made a mental note to figure out who she was later. He raised his hand to the sky and yelled. "If you are an opening battle, be here tomorrow at 9 o clock… don't be late! With that, I thank you for coming out today, and may the best trainer… _WIN!" _

**AN: Hollllllyyyy Crap. I just keep breaking through my previous records one by one. To be fair, when I started this chapter, I didn't expect it to be **_**this **_**long. I expect maybe 9,000ish words give or take, not on the borderline on Twelve THOUSAND. Either way, I'm sorry if you guys were hoping for a good Ash battle, you're gonna have to wait on that one. I'm going to try and include one or two major chapters featuring my OC elites, so bear with me here! **

**I'd like to thank a reviewer, BLstaz, for catching an error I made while typing this chapter. It's much appreciated and great to know that I've got so may followers watching my back and my writing to make sure I keep it free of errors!**

**In the meantime, if you're new, please follow, favorite, and review! It means a ton to me guys, so please go do so! I'm not sure what next chapter will feature, but, if you didn't notice, there was a bit of information of a "Power" that I mentioned while Axel and Grimsley battled. What kind of power is this? Well, guess you're gonna have to wait and find out!**

**Guys, Girls, everyone, hope you guys enjoyed it! This took me **_**forever **_**to type up! So, until the next one ladies and gentlemen, it's been real! See you soon!**

**LegionZ**


	9. The Looming Threat

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to the story! If ya'll are new, if you guys could follow and favorite the story, that'd be awesome! If you guys dislike my content or think it's awesome, leave a review and let me know! Criticism is accepted **

**Now let's talk. So I began playing Pokémon Y again with a buddy of mine, great to be back like the old times. Hey if ya'll play the game put "LegionZ Let's Battle" or something of the sort as your description and maybe I'll hit you up hahahaha. But that's enough of me joking around, let's be serious. I got a group of very divided reviews: some people liked the battle while others did not. The main reason for dislike was very clear to me: Nobody wanted it to be about the OC. That's very understandable, but let me just quickly say something.**

**I'll likely be having one or two chapters centered around each of my OC's scattered around this story, depending on how long it is. However, this story is mainly still on Ash and May's relationship along with the traitors. There's plenty to come, so hang in there! This chapter will feature a reunion of allies, a group of people I really should've included sooner but opted not to. So, I've decided to do something about it now. **

**This chapter will almost certainly be a 7k-8k word chapter… every chapter I've posted as of late has been huge, it may be time to shrink it down just a bit from last one. Either way, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Without further adieu, let's go!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 9**

_Last Chapter…_

_The boy spoke first. "So… word is you're Ghost."_

_Ash didn't say anything. "All these people here think they've got a chance." He scoffed and then chuckled. "They really haven't seen you battle have they?" Ash couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. This guy didn't sound like he was insulting him, but rather, acknowledging his strength in battle._

_Ash spoke. "You've done your homework." He then frowned. This boy seemed familiar… but where did Ash know him from? He couldn't place his finger on it._

_The boy shrugged. "Well I've seen you battle firsthand. I was a semi-finalist until Gardens dispatched me." Ash's eyes slightly widened. THAT was where he knew this boy from! He also understood why he hadn't recognized him. It had been years since Ash had seen this boy, and he hadn't even battled him. However, someone very close to him had. _

"_You've certainly grown Abel." Ash smirked a little. Abel actually appeared to be taken aback at this, like he didn't expect Ghost to actually know who he was. Ash added with a grin. "I do my homework too." The boy nodded, an emotionless expression on his face. "I suppose I should've known; you are the best trainer here after all… well… after me of course." Ash didn't say anything. He knew better than to underestimate this trainer._

_He was, after all, the trainer that defeated Zandra in the tournament. However, that was before Abel had been starstruck in the following round by the eventual runner-up of the tournament named Deshiro Gardens. Ash had easily squashed Gardens, only losing two Pokémon while crushing all of Gardens' Pokémon. In the prior rounds, in the top 8, Zandra had been defeated by Abel, who still had two Pokémon left when he was declared the winner. Gardens had bamboozled Abel in the following round with many status conditions that left him desperate. He had fallen just short, knocking out four of Gardens' Pokémon before falling. _

_Abel Winchine grinned just a little. "You've got modesty Ghost. Anyone else in your position would be bragging about how easy it would be to win." Ash wisely and coldly said. "Overconfidence leads to defeat."_

_Abel tapped the side of his head while smirking at Ash. "Yet, no confidence at all gives one no battle spirit, wouldn't you agree?" Ash nodded. "I would indeed."_

_Abel walked up to Ash's side and whispered quietly. "We didn't have the chance to battle in the tournament before. I would've won then… and I will win now. I'm sorry Ghost, but I am going to win this championship and take your crown. Whenever we battle, and I know we will…" He walked slowly past him. "… I will be ready." He then walked out; a calm yet determined expression written all over his face._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Grimsley slightly smirked. "Hate to break up this reunion, but if you aren't a winner, you're a loser! Unleash the attack!" Krookodile let out a roar and fired off the beam at a totally vulnerable Zeraora. The entire crowd gasped in shock as Grimsley had ordered his Pokémon to attack a defenseless Pokémon. Axel's eyes widened in horror and he sprinted out onto the battlefield and threw himself in front of Zeraora. July screamed as an explosion covered the field. "AXEL!" _

_Ash was standing up and leaning over the ledge of the railing protecting them from falling, a horrified look on his face.. Xavier and Zandra were attempting to calm July, who was sobbing uncontrollably on the floor. She wailed his name over and over again, knowing that he had just listened to her pleas, only to get killed by the opposing Pokémon._

_The referee raised his flag. "Zeraora is unable to—" He stopped talking when he saw a slightly green glow coming from inside the smoke and dust. Then, as the smoke and dust totally faded, the crowd exploded into cheers._

_Ash chuckled in relief. "Zeraora sure picked a good time to learn that."_

_July pushed herself up and stared over the ledge and gasped. Zeroara had a large ray shield around itself and Axel, who was staring at his partner in shock. She squealed in joy, tears still streaking down her face. "Zeraora learned Protect!"_

_Zeraora lowered the shield and Axel grinned at his faithful partner. "Thank you Zeraora. You saved me." Zeraora nodded. "Ra!" It said. _

_He then walked back to his side of the field and got into a battle stance. "Zeraora, let's finish this!" His Pokémon, who seemingly had gotten a third wind, looked ready for anything. Axel roared. "Now, we become one!" Crossing his arms, and beginning to punch in front of him, he finished with a dominant pose, and yelled. "Unleash your inner powers!"_

_Zeraora let out a cry and charged a stunned Krookodile, and just before the move connected, Axel yelled. "All-Out Pummeling! Finish it!"_

_The explosion that blanketed the battlefield was blinding. Dust and smoke emerged from the Z-move, and Ash let out a whoop of joy. Xavier stared down, waiting to see the ending result. How Zeraora was still standing was miraculous. It looked as though it was about to be knocked over instantly by a gust of wind. Grimsley silently pleaded for a miracle, while the audience awaited to see the end result of the multiple explosions blanketing the alligator. _

_The referee peered into the smoke, and must've seen something, because he raised his hand and announced. "Krookodile is unable to battle, Zeraora wins! Therefore, the winner of this battle and the trainer moving on to the next round is Axel Fractera representing Alola!"_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Grimsley stuttered. "B-b-but that's not true…" Xavier pointed out from the side. "Then what exactly do you call what we just saw?" Grimsley glared at Xavier. "Back out of this, Pretty Boy. I'm trying to have a conversation with my girlfriend."_

"_You were." July growled. _

_Grimsley looked back at her. "Perfect, then let's continue."_

_She shook her head, her beautiful face stained with tears. "No, you were my boyfriend. And I was your girlfriend." Grimsley blinked before laughing hysterically. The Alola Elites watched him with emotionless expressions. Once he finally calmed down, he chuckled and said. "You? Dump me? I must've not heard that right. Are you certain that's the best course of action?"_

_Just then, Axel walked into the room with a bewildered look on his face. Xavier's eyes lit up when he saw his close friend, and Zandra smiled at him. Grimsley narrowed his eyes in anger when he saw the yellow haired boy walk into the room. July, however, had a mischievous smile on her face; the same one all her friends and elites saw her have every single day._

_She walked right up to Grimsley and told him with a grin. "How's this for certain?" She then kicked him right in between the legs, making him wheeze in pain and collapse with clutching the area in between. He moaned in discomfort while he desperately tried to stop the pain that was attacking his private area._

_Axel chuckled, but July wasn't finished. "And how's this for certain?" She grabbed the sides of Axel's face in her hands and crushed her mouth to his. Grimsley looked like he was watching a bus about to run him over. Xavier's eyes bulged out in complete shock. Zandra's jaw dropped in shock at the boldness of July._

_After a few more seconds, she broke the kiss and stared at Axel, who had a dark blush covering his entire face. The blush faded and he said with a silly grin plastered on his face, "If I had known that was coming, I would've forfeited and ran all the way here." That was, apparently, the right thing to say, because July laughed happily and kissed him on the lips once more, as Axel wrapped his arms around her waist, determined to never let her go._

_Present..._

"I'm sorry, what? You need me where?" Ash's elites were watching him walk around in a circle with amused expressions written all over their faces. Zandra was sipping some coffee with an odd amount of cream in it, Xavier was leaning back on his chair with his feet above the table, and Axel had his arm around July's shoulders, both wearing grins as they watched their champion argue on the phone.

"I still don't believe this. You need me _where? _Wait… _when!?_" A brief pause. "_NOW?" _He said in disbelief. He was silent before grumbling. "Yes, I know it's been forever but can't it—" he went silent again before he appeared to give in.

"Very well. I will make preparations." He hung up his pokegear and sighed in annoyance. Xavier joked. "Another Salesman? Last one who wouldn't take no for an answer… I swear…" Ash couldn't suppress his grin and said cheekily. "Yeah, only this one was a bit more persistent. She was the most persuasive of all the salesman I've ever had the fortune of talking with."

July blinked. "Who was that on the phone anyway?"

Ash answered. "Oh you know… just one woman named Lusamine." Xavier chuckled. "Oh boy, she probably let you have it." Ash groaned. "And how. Now, she's claiming I "Owe Her", and is insisting that I go to meet up with the old gang of mine as a payment for all this trouble of the tournament being held on Aether Paradise's front doorstep."

Zandra responded. "That doesn't sound that bad." 

Ash shook his head. "That's because you haven't heard; it means I'll have to abandon the tournament for a day, and something tells me Charles isn't gonna let this one slide, regardless of the fact that I don't battle today." Axel laughed and waved his hand dismissingly. "Come on, that's a little rough of the old man, right? He's not that strict!"

Xavier groaned a little. "Actually I'm with Ash on this one, though he's lenient on most things, the one thing he isn't is on anything that comes with a Pokémon tournament. Ash has a point there." Ash added. "Which means I'm doing the one thing I have to do. Axel… you're in charge of the tournament until the end of the day. Don't do anything I'll regret." Axel's eyes gleamed for a split second before fading, and Ash addressed the rest of his elites. "July, I know you're battling today, so the best of luck."

"Zandra, Xavier, just try not to let the island turn into a shithole while I'm gone. It's just for a little while, shouldn't be too hard." He grinned.

Zandra joked. "Wait till you see Axel turn ALT City into an electric-type playground and then get back to us." Ash glanced over at Axel, who was cracking up, then noticed his leaders stern look and chuckled nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Don't worry boss, I'll take good care of the city and the tournament."

Ash nodded carefully. "Good, give me a reason to distrust you and you're off the elite four faster than you can say "electric." Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have to go get ready. Apparently, it's time for a reunion, and one that is long overdue with some, and too soon with some others. I suppose we'll know just how soon, soon enough." 

_MeléMelé Island…_

"Okay class! Now who can tell me the eight eeveeolutions, and what types each of them are?" A man with a dark gray beard that was trimmed nicely said with a smile. His glasses and white cap gave away his identity. He also wore no shirt, yet he wore an unbuttoned lab coat. A young boy that was maybe only 11 years of age and had bright red hair said. "Ohhh! I know three of them Professor!"

Kukui smiled and said. "And what are they?"

The boy excitedly said. "I know Jolteon, Vaporeon and Flareon! They're the only Eeveeolutions to evolve with stones!" Kukui nodded and spoke. "What are those stones Jared?" He grinned and responded to his teacher. "Thunder Stone, Water Stone, and Fire Stone!" Kukui smiled widely and said. "Excellent work Jared! Who else knows any Eeveeolutions?"

A young girl that appeared to be Jared's age and had straight brown hair and grey eyes responded. "I know two Professor! My mom told me about Glaceon, the ice Pokémon, and Leafeon, the grass Pokémon! They evolve based on where they are trained!" She added with a small smile. Kukui clapped. "Amazing work Carol! Your mother is correct, and so are you! That leaves three Pokémon! Who can name them?"

Another girl who was likely two years older than Carol loudly spoke. "Professor, I know two more! They are Umbreon and Espeon! I think they are the Psychic and Dark type evolutions of Eevee!" Kukui made two more tally marks on the board and nodded, drifting off into space. "And they both evolve based on the time of day it is! Great! So, who knows the last Eeveeolution?" When nobody responded, he asked again while still staring at the board in a quiet trance.

"Anybody?"

"Sylveon would be the last one. It's a fairy-type Pokémon, and the most recently discovered Eeveeolution. It evolves based on the affection it shares for its trainer along with the requirement that it knows a fairy type move prior to evolution." Kukui nodded and scratched one final tally and turned back to his class and cheerfully said. "Great job… uh…" He blinked when he saw all his students looking elsewhere in awe. He turned to the person that he hadn't seen in ages.

Ash laughed and cheerfully tugged on both sides of his red vest with a bright grin on his face. "How are you Professor? Still remember me?" Kukui got over his initial shock and roared with laughter before hugging Ash tightly. "Hey there Ghost! Been too long, what happened to the everyday visits you promised huh?"

Ash joked. "Guess managing a region got away from me a little."

Kukui turned to his class and said happily. "Well class! We have a special guest today! This here is Ghost! He's the champion of Alola, the most powerful trainer in the region!" The kids gasped and Jared spoke in awe. "So then, you must be really powerful then!" Ash chuckled and good-naturedly said, "I like to think so."

Kukui laughed and slapped Ash on the back, knocking over his concealed Pikachu. The kids squealed when they saw the Pokémon land and Kukui introduced his partner. "And this here is Ghost's Pikachu! It's his partner Pokémon, the first Pokémon he got when he began his journey!" Ash chuckled and motioned to the door. "Lusamine wants to gather everyone, you were on my way over, you want to come?" He grinned. "Class lets out in twenty minutes; think you can hold off till then?"

Ash smiled. "Anything for a friend."

Jared ran up to Ash and gleefully said. "Mr. Ghost, I want to be just like you one day!" Ash didn't say anything, but mentally, he was smiling. This was what he had trained for; to have people look up to him in awe and be shook by his strength. Ghost was a household name in Alola now, and Ash was determined to keep it that way. Ash answered plenty of questions in those twenty minutes and even signed a few autographs for the kids, who were awestruck in his presence.

When the twenty minutes had passed, the kids left and Ash took Kukui down and out of the building, getting ready for takeoff to their meeting place: The beach. Ash yelled to Kukui just before they took off: "Hang on Tight!" And then, with one loud '_WHOOOOOOSH', _they both took off on Charizard's back towards the sandy beach nearby.

_ALT City…_

In a rather fancy looking restaurant in the heart of the magnificent city, a group of people sat waiting for their food. More specifically, it was the group of traitors that backstabbed Ash many years before. They were short a few group members at the moment, but it didn't stop them all from hanging out with one another on their own accord.

Max yelled across the restaurant. "Hey! I need a waiter over here!" A nicely-dressed male with a forced smile on his face came over and said as calmly as he could. "Can I help you sir?" Max said with an annoyed tone. "Yeah! I ordered my food like ten minutes ago and I haven't gotten it yet! Where is it?" Cilan pointed out. "Food takes time to prepare Max… you really shouldn't rush it…"

Max pouted and said with his arms crossed. "Doesn't matter! I'm hungry."

Misty replied. "We all are Max, we should be talking about more _productive _things, so say, how we're going to win this tournament and take over the Alola Region." A few heads turned their direction and just about all of them turned back, minding their own business. Max, suddenly fueled with anger. "Yeah! I'm gonna squash Ghost and his stupid Sceptile, mark my words!"

Iris laughed and shook her head. "Don't forget Max, you were overconfident before and look what happened. You're such a kid!" Max growled in anger. "Hey! Nobody asked you Iris!" Dawn put her hands in between them and said in annoyance. "Guys! We're all on the same side here! Don't forget that! And let's also not forget the big picture of why we're here in the first place, right?"

Trip nodded and wrapped his arm around Misty. "She's right: we're here to completely stop the Ghost and take over his spot as league champion! Then, we can do whatever we want! Right guys?"

Bonnie nodded and happily said. "Right! And there's five of us competing in this tournament, so we're almost guaranteed to win! All these people competing are amateurs compared to all of us!"

Cilan suddenly said. "Pardon me, but if there are five of us here, how will we decide who is rightfully champion?" Max scoffed. "Duh. Whichever one of us takes the tournament will become champion and kick Ghost out on his sorry ass and then the new champion will induct all of us as their new elites!"

Dawn frowned. "Won't his elites refuse to go quietly though?"

Again, Max scoffed. "Who cares? I'll clobber them with my team, that outgha shut them up!" Bonnie leaned into her boyfriend and cooed. "That's my man! So heroic!"

Trip shook his head a little but then said. "My Serperior is the one to beat in this competition; he's unstoppable." Max laughed and shook his head. "You wish! Nobody's taking down my Gallade! He's too fast and too strong for anyone to keep up with!"

The traitors began a rant on whose Pokémon was most powerful, one conversation that got louder and louder within seconds and even louder as those seconds turned into minutes. People around them began to leave until there was just them and one table left that was occupied by one single person directly next to them. Max, who had finally stopped his worthless rant on why Gallade was better than all of his friends Pokémon combined, suddenly yelled out in annoyance while waving his arms around rapidly. "HEY! WHERE THE HELL IS MY FOOD!?"

A moment later, an annoyed waiter, conveniently the same one as before, walked out with a massive tray of food containing all of the traitors various meals. Max said gleefully. "Finally! Order—" Then, in a flash, the waiter dropped the entire tray of food on the group, and an uproar of reactions emerged. Iris began yelling along with Cilan about the condition of their food, while Misty and Trip scolded the waiter about their now completely ruined clothes. Bonnie was screaming at the top of her lungs while Max was nearly assaulting the poor waiter. Last but not least, Dawn was sitting in the middle of the group with a shocked look on her face.

The waiter, however, had a frown on his face. "Don't blame me for this. One of you had your feet out, don't try to deny it. So, if you wish to blame anyone, blame yourselves to start." However, Max cried out. "I'll do no such thing! You're going to give us free food now, or I'm going to complain to your management." The waiter chuckled and shook his head with a smirk, waving his blue hair and just watching the group with amused eyes. Directly next to the group, the lone woman at the table stood up and walked out, her bright magenta hair flowing behind her.

And around the nearest corner, a small figure snapped a photo of the group with a grin on its face before slowly walking away. He whistled merrily before saying cheerfully. "We da best in the biz…"

_MeléMelé Island… The Beach…_

Another group of people were standing about and minding their own business. They were chatting amicably amongst each other and talking about the latest news in Alola when all of the sudden, a girl from the group cried out excitedly. "Look up there!" They saw a massive Pokémon approaching them and before they knew it, the area was covered by a small sandstorm that lasted about ten seconds.

When it faded, the entire group realized who it was and cheered. "Ghost!" Ash took a bow along with a rather flustered Professor Kukui who laughed a little. Ash held out his hand to two of his closest friends, and they each shook it one by one. "Kiawé, you're lucky May and I are off on the right food or else I'd take that gym away from you." Kiawé paled. "You… You _are _joking right?" Ash chuckled and smirked. "Keep thinking that bud."

Ash then turned his attention to the other boy who shook his hand all the same. He grinned. "You're quite the hit Sophocles, everyone is in awe of ALT City you know." The boy happily said. "Clemont deserves a good portion of the credit, it was mainly his ideas, but I put them all together. So it was a joint effort!" Ash laughed and said with a smile. "Glad to know you guys get along so well."

Then, he was attacked by three figures, all females. "Ghost!" They all cried out at once. Ash squeaked out. "A-air…" They released him and Mallow happily said. "Ghost! Why did you never come visit me on my trip?" Ash chuckled nervously and said with a small grin. "Managing a region _does _have drawbacks Mallow…" She nodded and frowned. "My boyfriend would give you a run for your money Ash—" His eyes widened in horror and he waved his arms around rapidly to motion her to stop, but she waved it off.

"Ash don't worry, nobody is even close enough for to hear Ash, it's just us." Ash paused and stared at the group before sighing and nodding. "Okay, works for me then." Lana then hugged Ash again and cheerfully said. "I missed you!" Ash laughed and said. "Missed you too Lana. Hope your fishing journey went well for you; I never really got to discuss it with you all that much!" She happily said. "I didn't catch the legendaries…"

Ash frowned. "Oh, that's too bad…" She added. "But I did get to see each one! They were magnificent!" Ash smiled and said. "That's amazing news Lana, I'm happy for you!" He then turned to the final girl, who gave him a small and friendly smile. "Ash."

Ash paused before saying. "Lillie." After another moment, they both laughed and hugged one another as though they hadn't seen each other in years. Ash let her go and she noticed Pikachu on his shoulder. She rubbed Pikachu's head soothingly. "Chaaaaaa…" Pikachu happily responded. "It's great to see you too Pikachu! You're looking great!"

Ash suddenly said. "Hey, is Gladion here?"

She giggled. "Take a look to your right."

Ash turned ninety degrees and grinned widely when he saw his Alola Rival standing next to Professor Kukui, engaged in some sort of conversation. He grinned and said with a smile. "Mind if I go talk to him?" She smiled. "It's your region, _Mr. Champion. _You can pretty much do whatever you please." Ash rolled his eyes playfully and walked over to the blonde haired boy. Ash approached him from behind and said with a smirk. "When Lusamine told me you and Lillie were taking a break from travelling, I'll admit, I never thought it would have been for this tournament, even as huge as this tournament is."

The male turned and grinned. "Well, I'll admit, it was a last second decision, but this tournament is a good way to see the progress I've made as a whole." After another moment, the two laughed a little before shaking hands and giving one another the sacred "Bro Hug." They broke it up and Gladion couldn't help but smile a little at the trainer before him. He always wished to become someone dominant, but at least a close friend of his had the chance to lead Alola to greatness as it's leader and champion.

Lillie walked over and happily said. "We all caught up boys?"

Ash chuckled and said. "Yes _mom._" She playfully hit him and replied. "Good! We're playing a game of Pokémon baseball, and you two are our team captains. Almost simultaneously, the two paled and Ash muttered. "Can we _not _play…"

Lillie giggled. "Nope! You're stuck!" Ash groaned and prepared for a rather long day that he knew was inevitable.

_Later that Day…_

The game had been over for quite some time now. Everyone was laughing merrily on the beachfront with the exception of two people. Lillie cried out. "The best part of that match was most certainly when Kiawé struck out Gladion! It was priceless!"

Ash pointed out dryly. "Yeah, but don't forget, he struck _you _out too Lillie."

A small blush covered her face and she mumbled. "Oh yes, I suppose you're right…" Gladion chuckled a little after she said this and everyone else got a good laugh over it. Lusamine hushed everyone and said calmly. "Thanks everyone for quieting down, I have to talk with the Ultra Guardians about something rather important, if I may? Gladion, please come as well." Ash stared at Lusamine for a brief second before standing up and walking over with the rest of the guardians.

They were a fair distance away before Lusamine finally turned around and said calmly. "First off, I trust you all are having a good time?" Mallow piped up. "It's amazing Lusamine! Thank you so much for this!"

Sophocles added with a huge grin on his face. "The food is _amaaaaaazzzzinnngggg…_" Kiawé, who was standing next to the boy, sweatdropped a little at this and said happily. "Of course Lusamine! Everything is going very well." Ash nodded his agreement silently, and Gladion didn't say anything either. Lusamine had a very small grin on her face. "I'm glad you all are having a good time, because now, I have something we must discuss. Our scientists at Aether Paradise have discovered something rather alarming." 

Lana mused. "An Ultra Beast? It's been awhile since we've seen one." Mallow suddenly said. "You're right Lana! It's been almost four months since we've even had a threat of an Ultra Beast come into range, and we easily took care of it."

Lusamine cut in. "That's just it though: we don't know for sure what it is."

Ash couldn't believe it. "Wait, you don't know? Why is this such a threat if we can't even confirm it's an Ultra Beast?"

Lusamine sighed. "It's because… this threat was _once _a Pokémon… but now, we consider it an Ultra Beast."

A round of gasps circled in the group. Gladion's eyes darted over to Ash, who glanced back, eyes laced with confusion. Sophocles was just as confused. "I've never heard of anything that was _once _considered a Pokémon, but is now an Ultra Beast, what happened?" All eyes were now on Lusamine. Ash could sense there was a story connected to this Pokémon, one that may give the Pokémon an identity. He wasn't wrong. She began speaking.

"Thousands of years ago, possibly even before Humans existed, there was a place on this fair world only covered by sand. We at Aether Paradise are not sure where this place was, or if it exists today. What we do know is that Pokémon somehow found a way to survive in those horrible conditions and make the most out of what they got. Life was, surprisingly, very good. There was plenty of food and water, and most of the Pokémon got along with one another nicely."

Gladion commented. "I've noticed there's almost always a _but _in these kind of scenarios…"

Lusamine continued her story. "_But…_ not all was well in this peaceful area. There was a vicious tyrant controlling the area, daring anyone to try and take it from them. As it would turn out, this tyrant was a Pokémon we all know today: a Ninetales."

Lillie gasped. "L-Like Snowy?"

Lusamine paused for a moment before replying. "Yes and No, Lillie. Yes, because it was a Ninetales, but, No, because it was a different _form _of Ninetales. It was not the Alolan Form of Ninetales you know, but the more well-known form of Ninetales instead."

"O-Oh… I see…" Lusamine nodded at her daughter and continued to speak about the story, going into the grimmest of sections. "Ninetales was ruthless, harming innocent Pokémon for its own gain. However, there was more to the story than just that. Ninetales' views on the region affected the Pokémon around it; and the issue was, one half of the Pokémon liked this view, and the other half did not. However, they all agreed on one thing: they disliked Ninetales as a leader, and were given the chance to try and "impeach" Ninetales, if you will."

She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "Instead of choosing the simple option, and trying to settle the argument peacefully, removing Ninetales and ending the region dispute, they chose the violent option: An all-out civil war between the two sides."

Lana gasped softly in disbelief. Mallow and Lillie were eerily silent, as were the males of the group. Lusamine spoke again. "The war lasted for over two years. Many Pokémon lost their lives fighting for their side. One of the saddest parts of it all was that Ninetales escaped in all of the ensuing chaos. Rather than try to be a decent ruler for just once, it opted to flee by itself, not even having the decency to take its own bodyguards with it."

Gladion frowned. "You still haven't told us the million dollar question mother." She turned to her son and he let it out. "What is this ultra beast threat, and what does this story have to do with it? It can't be Ninetales; if it was, we would only consider it a Pokémon, and nothing else than it, so what is this threat?"

Lusamine smiled a little at her perceptive son before speaking again quietly. "The _reason _that nobody ever threatened to defeat Ninetales was because of it's security: It's a Pokémon that, back all those years ago, was feared by all. It has a name that I will say in just a little bit. This Pokémon, however, was feared for one reason: It's ability to use _Sun-Type Moves."_

Ash blinked. "You mean fire-type moves?"

Lusamine shook her head. "No; _Sun._"

Gladion shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't understand how this is happening. You're telling me there's a whole 'nother _type_ of Pokémon to be researched on? How is it that Professor Sycamore hasn't discovered this yet?" After a second, Lusamine quietly spoke. "We only just found out about this Pokémon a mere day ago. We figured getting you all together once again and telling you all about this would fit nicely together."

Ash questioned with narrowed eyes. "I have some questions." Lusamine looked serious. "I'm here to answer them." 

"What is this Pokémon's name?"

She was quiet yet again before speaking. "It's name… is Delveon."

Nobody reacted for a second before Gladion suddenly made the connection. "No… it couldn't be… Eevee's lost evolution!" Ash turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" Gladion spoke in disbelief. "At Aether Paradise, I remember Faba speak to me of the lost Eeveeolution, and how it supposedly existed to defend great Pokémon with it's strength. I never did ask him what the name of this Pokémon was!"

Lusamine confirmed. "Yes. Delveon is known as the Sun-God Pokémon." She suddenly took a device out of her pocket and shockingly revealed a pokedex that appeared to be modified in many ways. She casually clicked a few buttons before she held it out in the middle of all of the trainers.

"**Delveon, the Sun God Pokémon, and the Legendary Evolved Form of Eevee. It is said that Delveon were the ancient warriors defending the Pharaoh Pokémon thousands of years ago. In Ancient Times, Delveon was commonly mistaken for Sylveons. Delveon is the only Pokémon known to have the "Sun Type." Sun type moves are Super Effective against Grass, Bug, Dark, Fighting, and Steel Type Pokémon. In addition, No Pokémon moves are super effective against Sun Types." **

Another eerie silence took over the group and Lillie said softly after a moment. "Why is it that Delveon disappeared and nobody knows about it?"

Lusamine quietly spoke. "As you now know, the Delveon were the ancient defenders of the Ninetales. That night when Ninetales fled, the Delveon were unaware the Pharaoh Pokémon had fled in the first place; Alas… the Pokémon living nearby, were not. They saw their so called leader flee and their anger took over. Mixing Adrenaline with Opportunity, they sealed off the Pharaoh's castle, trapping everyone inside. In their minds, whoever captured the castle held the key to the war."

She hesitated for a second. "The Delveon, as strong as they were, were no match for the thousands of Pokémon by themselves. One by one… they were slaughtered." Kiawé bit his lip and turned away, and Sophocles made a quiet hiccupping noise while threatening to burst into tears. Gladion himself was even having a rough go.

"Something ironic about that invasion: in the battle for the castle, both sides ending up destroying it. Neither side gained anything out of the battle, or the war as a whole." Lusamine said.

Lana noticed the ending. "What do you mean, "Or the War as a Whole", Lusamine?" She sighed and finished her story. "When the war was over, so many lives had been lost, and so much damage had been done that the entire area had been deemed unlivable. Everyone was forced to pack what they could and leave. What could've ended as a simple removal of power ended up in near total annihilation . And thus, that is the Delveon war."

Ash had another question. "If all the Delveon were killed, then why do you think one is currently a threat to us?"

Lusamine replied. "In past days, we've been having off the chart readings of mystical energy, nothing we've ever recorded before from an Ultra Beast we've already battled against. However, this energy was traced back to prehistoric times; the exact year that the Delveon were supposed to be wiped out."

Gladion spoke. "Meaning, this Delveon was essentially a baby when its own kind was erased?"

Lusamine nodded. "Yes, that's correct Gladion."

Ash suddenly understood why it was such a big deal they were ready ahead of time for this fearsome fighter. "So… in short, we're dealing with a once Pokémon, now Ultra Beast who's seeking vengeance for its people that were mercilessly murdered by a horde of angry Pokémon back over thousands of years ago? And of course, it's had _thousands _of years to burn up in anger and prepare to conquer anything that gets in its way…"

Gladion grumbled. "Don't forget that no moves have a type advantage on it. Meaning, we'll have to muscle it out against this Pokémon who's been waiting for hundreds of thousands of decades to get out and fight… this is just great…"

Mallow said hopefully. "Maybe it'll come out old and depleted? After all, no Pokémon can stay spry and healthy for that long, right?" Lusamine sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry Mallow, I wished it worked that way, but it doesn't. On the other side of that Ultra Wormhole, time works very different, and even worse, there's another thing to know about Delveon."

The group looked amongst one another nervously, preparing for the worst. "Delveon, being the Sun-God Pokémon, has a special bond with the rays of light that emit from the sun. Even in an alternate dimension, as long as our sun continues to shine here, it's lifespan continues to increase. It is truly one of the most fascinating Pokémon we've ever researched, but also one of the most lethal."

"So… in short… be on your guard. At any moment, the wormhole may open, and you will be called upon for battle." She finished before giving the group a weak smile and walking off into the distance, back towards the group. The youngsters took this time to look at one another in disbelief: clearly, the upcoming battle with Delveon would surely be one they would never forget; they only had to hope it was for the right reasons.

And then, to snap the tension, Ash's pokégear rang. It startled everyone out of their trance. Ash apologized profusely and picked it up. "This is Ghost."

_"Hey Boss." _A Pokémon's voice said loudly.

The voice got his attention. The day would never end would it? Nonetheless, this was information he'd likely _want _to hear. He couldn't keep the anticipation out of his voice. "Ah, I was wondering when I'd be getting a call from you all. How was Kanto?"

_"The same as always. I hope you don't mind, Boss, but I stopped to quickly grab my eight badge in Viridian City."_

"Did you win?" Ash questioned.

"_Well of course."_ The reply came as a slightly prideful but slightly confused tone. Ash chuckled aloud. "Then there's no harm at all. Still, I hope you all picked up the information I was looking for… did you?"

_"Of course Boss. We'd never return to you empty handed, wouldn't want to break our flawless streak of missions now would we?" _a feminine voice spoke on the other side. Ash couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, I know you wouldn't. You all have too much pride for that. Still, I want to hear this information in person. When can we meet?"

_"Pokémon League in Twenty Minutes works for us, we'll be there."_ The line then went dead before Ash could even say anything. Ash paled when he realized just how far away it was and called out his faithful dragon. He called out. "Guys! I have to go! Urgent… league business! Thank you for everything!"

He took off to the skies in a blinding flash of speed and tore back to the Pokémon league, more than just a little anxious to hear just how much information his top spies had managed to uncover about the group of people that were known as the traitors.

**AN: As I warned, it was a short chapter. I've typed so much recently (10k and 11k Chapters as my last two posts), so I think a smaller chapter was needed. Breaking 7k is still okay, and I'm already past the Betrayed Rises in terms of length of story. This chapter is unfortunately kind of a positioning chapter for future chapters, and I decided to place it here because of all the ridiculous chapters I've typed as of recently.**

**So now let's talk: **_**YES**_**… I repeat… **_**YES… DELVEON IS AN OC Pokémon.**_ **It's actually not the first time I used this OC, however. I used this OC Pokémon in the LOS Chronicles. Let me also say this: **_**I KNOW NOT EVERYONE WILL SUPPORT THIS AND THAT IS PERFECTLY OKAY. DELVEON WILL NOT PLAY A GIANT ROLE IN THIS STORY!**_

**Sorry, I had to get that out of the way. The fact of the matter is, since this is Alola, there should be some chapters with Sophocles, Lana, Mallow, Kiawé, and Lillie, along with Gladion. Therefore, as the Alolan Heroes are included, I decided there should be one Ultra Beast to defeat, and I didn't want to include one that's already been used, so why not use one that is my OC, but I've already used before? I figured it wasn't the worst of tactics, but I know it's not going to get full support. That is okay! **

**If you guys are new, please favorite and follow! Let me know what you think of the story in the review's down below! Thanks for reading guys! I expect next chapter to be Ash's first battle of the tournament! Till the next one guys!**

**LegionZ**


	10. Painting a Clearer Picture

**Hey Guys! It's LegionZ here with another chapter to the story! I hope you're enjoying this story guys, at is surpasses 80,000 words and continues the push for 100k! If you're new, please make sure you follow and favorite the story so you can stay up to date and show your support for it! Also, whether you like it or hate it, please let me know what you think by reviewing or PM'ing me! As always guys, Criticism is accepted****J**

**Now, let's talk: this chapter will hopefully please both sides of my fanbase: The ones who are in it for the Advanceshipping, and the ones who are in it to see Ash kick some ass and get revenge on those who damned him. So in short this chapter is designed to make the entire fanbase happy.**

**Also, I should mention these next few weeks will be very hectic for me, as I am going back to college for the first time since mid-May. So, don't be alarmed if I don't post next week: I'm just probably moving into my apartment. Now, as for posting in the future, I don't know if I'll stick to the script with my 7k+ chapters; during the summer it's possible because I have more free time but I don't have that during the school year, sorry guys… But, no reason to be down, it's time to get into the story… enjoy everyone!**

**(NOTE: I am adding this in to say that the chapter was temporarily removed due to the "Auto-Bolding" issue I've had with some chapters as of recently. Thanks to Fawkes Kleiffen for pointing out this issue so fast!)**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 10**

_Last Chapter…_

_Misty replied. "We all are Max, we should be talking about more productive things, so say, how we're going to win this tournament and take over the Alola Region." A few heads turned their direction and just about all of them turned back, minding their own business. Max, suddenly fueled with anger. "Yeah! I'm gonna squash Ghost and his stupid Sceptile, mark my words!"_

_Iris laughed and shook her head. "Don't forget Max, you were overconfident before and look what happened. You're such a kid!" Max growled in anger. "Hey! Nobody asked you Iris!" Dawn put her hands in between them and said in annoyance. "Guys! We're all on the same side here! Don't forget that! And let's also not forget the big picture of why we're here in the first place, right?"_

_Trip nodded and wrapped his arm around Misty. "She's right: we're here to completely stop the Ghost and take over his spot as league champion! Then, we can do whatever we want! Right guys?"_

_Bonnie nodded and happily said. "Right! And there's five of us competing in this tournament, so we're almost guaranteed to win! All these people competing are amateurs compared to all of us!"_

_Cilan suddenly said. "Pardon me, but if there are five of us here, how will we decide who is rightfully champion?" Max scoffed. "Duh. Whichever one of us takes the tournament will become champion and kick Ghost out on his sorry ass and then the new champion will induct all of us as their new elites!"_

_Dawn frowned. "Won't his elites refuse to go quietly though?" _

_Again, Max scoffed. "Who cares? I'll clobber them with my team, that outgha shut them up!"_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Lusamine smiled a little at her perceptive son before speaking again quietly. "The reason that nobody ever threatened to defeat Ninetales was because of its security: It's a Pokémon that, back all those years ago, was feared by all. It has a name that I will say in just a little bit. This Pokémon, however, was feared for one reason: It's ability to use Sun-Type Moves."_

_Ash blinked. "You mean fire-type moves?"_

_Lusamine shook her head. "No; Sun."_

_Gladion shook his head in disbelief. "I still can't understand how this is happening. You're telling me there's a whole 'nother type of Pokémon to be researched on? How is it that Professor Sycamore hasn't discovered this yet?" After a second, Lusamine quietly spoke. "We only just found out about this Pokémon a mere day ago. We figured getting you all together once again and telling you all about this would fit nicely together."_

_Ash questioned with narrowed eyes. "I have some questions." Lusamine looked serious. "I'm here to answer them."_

_"What is this Pokémon's name?"_

_She was quiet yet again before speaking. "Its name… is Delveon."_

_Nobody reacted for a second before Gladion suddenly made the connection. "No… it couldn't be… Eevee's lost evolution!" Ash turned to him and raised an eyebrow. "What was that?" Gladion spoke in disbelief. "At Aether Paradise, I remember Faba speak to me of the lost Eeveeolution, and how it supposedly existed to defend great Pokémon with its strength. I never did ask him what the name of this Pokémon was!"_

_Lusamine confirmed. "Yes. Delveon is known as the Sun-God Pokémon." She suddenly took a device out of her pocket and shockingly revealed a pokedex that appeared to be modified in many ways. She casually clicked a few buttons before she held it out in the middle of all of the trainers. _

_"_**_Delveon, the Sun God Pokémon, and the Legendary Evolved Form of Eevee. It is said that Delveon were the ancient warriors defending the Pharaoh Pokémon thousands of years ago. In Ancient Times, Delveon was commonly mistaken for Sylveons. Delveon is the only Pokémon known to have the "Sun Type." Sun type moves are Super Effective against Grass, Bug, Dark, Fighting, and Steel Type Pokémon. In addition, No Pokémon moves are super effective against Sun Types." _**

_Another eerie silence took over the group and Lillie said softly after a moment. "Why is it that Delveon disappeared and nobody knows about it?"_

_Lusamine quietly spoke. "As you now know, the Delveon were the ancient defenders of the Ninetales. That night when Ninetales fled, the Delveon were unaware the Pharaoh Pokémon had fled in the first place; Alas… the Pokémon living nearby, were not. They saw their so called leader flee and their anger took over. Mixing Adrenaline with Opportunity, they sealed off the Pharaoh's castle, trapping everyone inside. In their minds, whoever captured the castle held the key to the war."_

_She hesitated for a second. "The Delveon, as strong as they were, were no match for the thousands of Pokémon by themselves. One by one… they were slaughtered."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_The group looked amongst one another nervously, preparing for the worst. "Delveon, being the Sun-God Pokémon, has a special bond with the rays of light that emit from the sun. Even in an alternate dimension, as long as our sun continues to shine here, it's lifespan continues to increase. It is truly one of the most fascinating Pokémon we've ever researched, but also one of the most lethal."_

_"So… in short… be on your guard. At any moment, the wormhole may open, and you will be called upon for battle." She finished before giving the group a weak smile and walking off into the distance, back towards the group. The youngsters took this time to look at one another in disbelief: clearly, the upcoming battle with Delveon would surely be one they would never forget; they only had to hope it was for the right reasons._

_And then, to snap the tension, Ash's pokégear rang. It startled everyone out of their trance. Ash apologized profusely and picked it up. "This is Ghost."_

_"Hey Boss." A Pokémon's voice said loudly._

_The voice got his attention. The day would never end would it? Nonetheless, this was information he'd likely want to hear. He couldn't keep the anticipation out of his voice. "Ah, I was wondering when I'd be getting a call from you all. How was Kanto?"_

_"The same as always. I hope you don't mind, Boss, but I stopped to quickly grab my eight badge in Viridian City."_

_"Did you win?" Ash questioned._

_"Well of course." The reply came as a slightly prideful but slightly confused tone. Ash chuckled aloud. "Then there's no harm at all. Still, I hope you all picked up the information I was looking for… did you?"_

_"Of course Boss. We'd never return to you empty handed, wouldn't want to break our flawless streak of missions now would we?" a feminine voice spoke on the other side. Ash couldn't help but laugh a little. "No, I know you wouldn't. You all have too much pride for that. Still, I want to hear this information in person. When can we meet?"_

_"Pokémon League in Twenty Minutes works for us, we'll be there." The line then went dead before Ash could even say anything._

_Present…_

Ash grumbled something about "the wrong kind of attention." He was currently pondering what exactly was going on in the head of the person across from him. It was quite simple really; he loved the perks that being champion came with, alas, he despised the attention that it came with at the same time. For example, words couldn't describe how much he loved being able to create a region based on his ideas and style. It was also great that people gave him the utmost respect whenever they saw him; it was like they were respecting his title.

However, with the same amount of people that respected him, there were those people that only tried to use him for the own gain and popularity. Naturally, these were not the only reasons that he despised the attention, but these were the two main ones. It was his goal that, in the upcoming future, he could find a beautiful beach house somewhere in Alola… maybe off a beach somewhere? He could really use that.

Right now, he had _much _better things to do than deal with people who were just trying to use him, gain from him, or worst of all… get into his pants. The ladder was the topic at hand, unfortunately, although for all the other males, they would consider it a blessing. Ash did not, not in the slightest.

What things did he have on his mind? Well… that was an interesting conversation to say the least, with a legendary trio…

_Flashback… About Two Days Prior…_

Ash landed on the roof of the Pokémon league and saw three figures standing there, all dressed in different attire. The shortest one had a small white hat and dark sunglasses, and a white tuxedo to go with it. The male of the group appeared to be sporting a waiter's costume of some sort, with his hair tied up back in a man-bun. The female of the group had a large white hat that came down to cover her eyes. She wore a white sun dress.

Ash chuckled. "How I always fell for those damn disguises is beyond me."

James chuckled and took off the disguise. "Be glad you did, it rubbed off on the twerp troop!" Ash laughed at that and said eagerly. "Well? Let's hear it, what do you guys have?" James motioned to his allies and Jessie held out her hand and bowed slightly. "You may go first."

He chuckled. "Very well." He walked over to Ash and gave him a few pictures. Ash investigated them one by one. The first one was of Max and Bonnie laughing and holding hands, with Serena pulling up the rear. They looked like they were walking past some sort of Pokémon toy shop. Max was trying to kiss Bonnie with some unknown substance on his lips, and she appeared to be laughing and pushing him away with her opposite hand. Serena, behind them, was making a face. He decided it really wasn't anything. He moved onto the next picture and saw it was at a restaurant. Bonnie was cuddled up next to Max with a smile on her face and stars in her eyes. Serena was to Max's right looking down at her phone. The rest of the traitors were with them as well.

The final picture he was handed was an odd one. It appeared to be the traitors arguing about something. Bonnie was huddled up next to Max, who was yelling and screaming about something. Serena was nowhere in Ash's sight for some reason. Trip was pointing down at a piece of paper, and Cilan was talking with him about something in depth.

Ash blinked. "What… what are these symbolizing? None of these pictures mean anything!" He was a bit annoyed. To his surprise, James grinned a little. "Take a closer look at the blonde twerpette." Ash raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Looks like Bonnie is just trying to grope her soon to be pummeled boyfriend."

James' grin only widened. "Not that blonde twerpette… the _other _blonde twerpette." Ash's eyes widened a little and his eyes darted to the pictures. He ran his eyes over the first picture, and it confirmed what James was saying. He saw the face Serena was making, and there was no mistaking it; it wasn't a grossed out picture. She looked rather… sad. James motioned. "Look at the toy in the window."

Ash's eyes bulged open when he saw it. A Pikachu doll. No way, that couldn't be a coincidence… He had to confirm what he was seeing, but no matter how hard he looked at the picture, the _big _picture didn't leave his mind. He looked at the next picture, and his eyes widened when he saw what Serena was looking at on her phone; A picture of Lumiose Airport. The place where…

He glanced back at the third picture and after a moment of searching, he found Serena in the background with her phone tilted up, almost like…

"She's taking a video of them! But the real question is why is she taking the video in the first place_?" _James replied. "I didn't take the first two pictures, but I did take the last one and I also followed her around somewhat. I gathered enough information to make a journey to the Kalos Region myself due to pure curiosity." Ash spoke slowly. "Something tells me you aren't telling me all this just to tell me you came up empty handed." His friend grinned. "You bet right. Turns out, Serena's mother went missing a day before she left for her journey in Hoenn."

Ash's eyes narrowed just in the slightest. "Wait, six years ago? She disappeared just before I was pronounced dead? How have I not heard about this?" James explained. "That was bugging me as well. I walked to Vaniville town in Kalos and did some digging, and I came up with stunning information. I found out that she went missing for just ten days total, before her kidnappers returned her."

"Kidnapped?"

James nodded. "Yes, but that isn't the most odd part." Ash questioned. "Then what was it?"

"It was the fact that, supposedly, she was returned home uninjured, _and_, the kidnappers supposedly didn't get anything from it." He explained, unable to keep the slightly excited tone out of his voice. Ash was silent for a moment, taking this all in. "That's… really odd… she was held for just a week and a half, then she was given back with no ransom? That's almost like… almost like she was a…"

"Bargaining Chip." James finished for him. Ash looked at him and then, everything fit together. When she had kissed him at the airport… Bonnie had been there. She had seen Serena kiss him! That could only mean…

"You think the traitors forced Serena into turning against me by using her Mom as a leverage? How would that all completely fit together?" James explained. "It goes like this: the tiny blonde twerpette knows Serena has feelings for you, and therefore, would be unwilling to betray you. So, to give them more leverage over you, they must make her join them, even if it's just for the time being: so, they take her mother and demand she cooperates with them. She agrees against her will, and once the deed is done, Serena's mother is returned. Because all the traitors are actually backstabbing you, there's no evidence that places them at the scene of the crime, therefore, she cannot confront them since there's only verbal evidence."

Ash pointed out. "Still doesn't explain a few things: why is she filming all of this stuff if she's not going to do anything with it?"

James nodded. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but, you've never met Serena before, yes?" Ash blinked. "What? What do you mean? Of course I've met her before—" James shook his head. "No, I mean, as the _Ghost._"

Ash frowned and shook his head. "No, I can't say I have."

James grinned. "Exactly; if my prediction is correct, she's filming this for one person: you." Ash realized James' prediction was actually a good one, and it connected all the gaps. Ghost was supposedly someone who got jobs done for prices, the question was, what was she giving him?

"I don't work for free after all, nor do you. What exactly is she planning to do when she finds me, in other words, how is she paying me?"

James frowned a little. "That little piece of information has thus eluded me, I'm afraid." Ash nodded slowly and said with a small smile. "You did good James, thanks." James bowed and said politely. "It was an honor." He then backed off and Jessie came forward and sadly said. "Ghost, I wish I bore the same news James had, but I do not. They are simple and rather dull in all honesty. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge on the situation."

Ash waved it off. "I expected as much from the traitors, don't worry about a thing." Jessie thanked him and backed off. Meowth walked up and handed him a device of some sorts. He nodded to Ash and said calmly. "You better watch this twerp, but not now… later. This video is for your eyes only, you'll know why when you see it, just trust me on this."

Ash took him for his word, and said to the group. "I need you all to stay on alert. I was given word today that a new Ultra Beast may go on the loose soon, so just stay frosty. I may need you all to help defend Alola, but for the time being, you all can go back onto your journey. Keep your phone close to you, I may need your help within time."

Meowth nodded. "You got it, boss!"

With that, all three rockets leapt off the rooftop and Ash turned away and looked down at the odd device. It looked like it had a small screen on it, so if Ash was guessing, it would show a video of some sort. He would look at it in his private chambers, that oughta be safe enough from anyone with prying eyes to get a vision on what Meowth had given him.

_Present…_

Now, Ash _had _looked at the video, but as much as he wanted to dwell on it, he found himself unable to due to the situation at hand: a battle. The side of his head had a bulging vein poking out, and after a moment he grumbled in annoyance before muttering under his breath, "Who am I kidding?" The situation at hand was not the battle, it was who he was battling _against._It was a rather cute blonde girl with dark grey eyes. She wore a tight black shirt with a pokeball symbol in the middle and cutoff blue jeans as well. Her luscious blonde hair went down her back and ended with a slight upwards curve. She was likely around 16 or 17 years old.

Now, he didn't immediately recognize her, but a ton of other people did. The referee, who was now announcing the rules to the battle, called out. "The battle between Ariana Shirona of Veilstone City and the Ghost of Alola is about to begin! Each side will be allowed to use three Pokémon apiece, and the battle is over when all three Pokémon from one side are unable to continue! Furthermore, in this battle, both sides are _permitted _to switch out their Pokémon at any time they please!"

Ash, meanwhile, couldn't believe he didn't Cynthia had a niece. Apparently, she had an older sister that kept her last name. Cynthia herself was around 30 or so, if he was guessing, so her older sister was probably at least forty. Unfortunately, there was more than one problem about Ariana being his first opponent.

For starters, she was a whiz at Pokémon knowledge. Ash had done plenty of research in the days before his battle, and he saw her record and stats; he couldn't slip anything past her that involved Pokémon abilities or anything uncommon. That meant he would have to dazzle her with power and his own knowledge of Pokémon moves, with the slightest touch of improvisation. Secondly, since she was a Shirona, it also meant she was a fierce battler in every way, and would not go down without a fight. This was going to be no cake walk. But, by far, the last reason was the worst:

She was flirting with him.

"So you're the famous Ghost?" She smiled seductively at him. "My Aunt really wasn't lying; you are something to look at." Ash temporarily lost his concentration as he realized she was pretty much telling him that Cynthia thought he was good looking, but he tossed that thought out the window. He needed to stay focused. Just before the battle, Zandra had told him a few words to remember.

They were only a few words, but, they were words he had to live by for this battle. They rang in his brain, _'Remember, you are the champion. Put on a show out there, but whatever you do, do NOT give the audience a reason to believe you will lose.' _It had only been two sentences, but he knew just how right she was, and there was no denying it whatsoever. He had to crush Ariana with ease, and he had an idea on how to do it.

Ariana was more focused on _him _rather than the battle. "Mmm… you know, after this battle, I'm free, how about you?"

Ash fought the urge to roll his eyes. _'This is the unwanted attention I cannot stand.'_He thought. He replied as calmly as he could. "You know, after this battle, we likely won't talk, how about you?" He sarcastically remarked, playing his cold, icy role of Ghost. However, Ariana was unfazed. She smirked. "Many guys would probably die to get into my pants, I know you're no different."

Ash chuckled. "I'm likely a good three years older than you, Ms. Shirona. As… er… _Intriguing…_as you are, your Aunt would not be pleased with me. And of course, you're underage."

Ariana appeared a bit surprised at this; clearly, she wasn't expecting him to reject an opportunity to have fun with her. She frowned and said. "I'll make a deal with you then!" Ash rolled his eyes, unable to keep it in this time. "And what _deal _is that?"

She winked. "I'll buy you dinner, just the two of us, if you beat me! And if I win, you pay for our dinner, deal?" Ash heard other males in the crowd yelling and pleading for them to be taken instead, and Ash sarcastically responded. "I'll make you a counter offer: If you win, you can move on in the tournament, and if I win, I move on in the tournament. How does that sound?" She narrowed her eyes in disbelief, how could one man be so self-controlled? Speaking of self-control, one person in the crowd was losing her cool, little by little.

_Ten Minutes Prior… The Maple's…_

"May, this will be fun! Plus, isn't Ghost the one who asked you out on that date? He's kind of cute." Caroline teased her daughter. Max, who to May's misfortune, had come along with them instead of his friends, commented. "I still can't believe you went with him May! He's a complete jerk! I bet he's a total wimp too, he's probably all talk!"

May couldn't hold in her snarky reply. "Yeah, and that's why he _clobbered _your sorry a—"

Norman interrupted. "That's enough you two! Try to keep it down, this is the champion we're talking about here, the most powerful trainer in this entire region, so let's not rush to assumptions Max, keep it in mind that he did beat you before. And I still haven't forgiven you about Manectric, so stay quiet and watch him battle, so that when you battle him again—"

May grumbled. "If."

Norman blinked. "What?"

May spoke. "I said, "_IF", _as in, _"If" _they battle again. I wouldn't bet on it." Max put on a hurt look. "But May! It sounds like you _want_me to lose to him? You wouldn't want that, would you?" May saw both her parents looking at her and May mumbled softly. "…No…" Caroline smiled and nodded. "Good! Now listen to your date's introduction!" May shook her head in annoyance, her parents were never going to let her live this down, were they?

She simply sat there and listened to the entire stadium explode into cheers and roars at Ghost's name. Then, his competitor, Ariana Shirona. May raised an eyebrow; she was not stupid. She knew Cynthia Shirona was the champion of Sinnoh, and therefore, almost by default, that made Ariana strong as she sought to be just like her Aunt.

She rolled her eyes and was failing to keep her rather agitated attitude in. Combine Max's mock-guilt expression that her klutz parents were buying and the constant teasing she was enduring, she was rapidly losing interest in staying nearby, and instead was just going to leave. After another minute of steaming, she suddenly stood up and said angrily. "I'm going."

Norman raised an eyebrow. "Where?"

May muttered. "Anywhere but here."

As she began to make her way out, she suddenly heard a voice. It was odd that she was able to hear it, but all of the sudden, she was able to hear everything both Ghost and Ariana and their conversation.

"So you're the famous Ghost?" May didn't stop moving on her way out of her seat until she heard the next thing she said.

"My Aunt really wasn't lying; you are something to look at." Then, she stopped cold. She slowly turned to look onto the battlefield. She couldn't understand how she was feeling right now, but she felt almost… protective, of Ghost. Why was she acting like this? She barely knew him at all, for Arceus' sake! She shook her head rapidly and tried to discard the rather odd feeling that she was now having.

"Mmm… you know, after this battle, I'm free, how about you?" Her eyes locked onto the beautiful blonde girl who was now making it very known she wanted to date the Alola Champion. Her eyes darted over to Ghost, who was looking emotionless. Then, after a moment, he finally spoke.

"You know, after this battle, we likely won't talk, how about you?" A guy next to her gasped and he yelled out. "Ariana! _I'm _free to hang out with you!" Another male shouted. "No! Pick me instead Ariana!" May shook her head at the boys around her. Then, she bit her lip as she thought about Max possibly yelling the same thing at her when he had a girlfriend.

Ariana smirked a little, seemingly unfazed by Ghost's comment. "Many guys would probably die to get into my pants, I know you're no different." May bit her lip, she wasn't wrong about the first part, and she found herself silently pleading that she was wrong about the second part. She listened to Ghost's response, still unsure why she was feeling this way about a guy she barely knew.

"I'm likely a good three years older than you, Ms. Shirona. As… er… _Intriguing…_as you are, your Aunt would not be pleased with me. And of course, you're underage." She stifled a laugh at this; Ghost wasn't taking the bait! He clearly had a lot of self-control. But, to her shock, Ariana still wasn't done trying to persuade the champion to give her a chance.

"I'll make a deal with you then!"

"And what _deal _is that?"

"I'll buy you dinner, just the two of us, if you beat me! And if I win, you pay for our dinner, deal?" May exploded. That was enough! "Why, the nerve of that _Slut!_" She roared in anger, almost surprising even herself. Thankfully for her, a hoard of boys yelling that they would take the offer in a heartbeat drowned out her rather loud remark and kept her outburst from being known.

Ghost, meanwhile, shot back. "I'll make you a counter offer: If you win, you can move on in the tournament, and if I win, I move on in the tournament. How does that sound?" May was shocked at how calm and straightforward Ghost was being; every other male in the stadium just appeared to want to get into her pants, and all he wanted was to battle. She couldn't help but look around and notice something else rather odd: there were many _females _staring down at the field as well as males. She came to the cold hard truth: Ghost was a man who attracted many.

She sent death glares to one or two girls, but then, she stopped and thought about what she was doing. She tried to move the feeling elsewhere that was building up inside her, but it was no use: she was hopelessly jealous. She honestly couldn't believe it, but she had no choice but to accept it. She felt as though she had finally moved on from Ash, and that was what Ash probably would've wanted anyway. There was only one issue: she was now interested in a regional champion.

She found herself staring at the boy in the red vest. She also knew it was hopeless to resist him, even though he wasn't even trying. She knew she liked Ghost now, the catch was telling him, and of course, hoping he felt the same way.

_Battlefield…_

Ash had finally caught of good streak of luck. The referee had finally decided to speak up after watching the exchange between Ariana and Ghost. He called out. "Ariana will call out her Pokémon first and have the first move! Ready? Battle _BEGIN!_" The crowd exploded into cheers as Ariana kissed her first pokeball and threw it up high. "Magmortar, come out!" The titanic fire-type Pokémon took the battlefield and roared loudly while shooting a blast of fire up in the sky before getting into a battle stance.

Ash had vivid visions of Paul's Magmortar, and briefly wondered how he was doing. He made a mental note to check on that before he took out a pokeball and called out. "I need your assistance!" The Pokémon materialized and stunned everyone when it appeared. Xavier stared down in utter shock. As a matter of fact, everyone in the battlefield appeared at a loss for words except for one.

Zandra had a smile on her face. "He's really playing this more unique than I thought he would…"

The referee looked a bit confused, but raised his flags and said. "Magmortar vs. Bulbasaur… Begin!"

Ariana smirked. "My my Mr. Champion, just _what _has gotten into you? You don't think that Bulbasaur can beat my Magmortar… or do you? Either way, this battle is over. Magmortar, Flamethrower, burn it!" The fire-type raised its arm and fired off a flamethrower towards the grass type. Ash calmly said. "Jump backwards, you know the plan." Ariana raised an eyebrow when the Flamethrower connected and a small explosion covered the field. Then, everyone saw a figure fly out on an arc straight towards Magmortar.

Ash smirked. "Poison Powder in mid-flight." Ariana yelled. "Nail in with Flamethrower before it hits!" However, it was far too late. As it flew directly over Magmortar's head, Ash's faithful grass-type shot a puff of purple gas in the air straight at the fire-type. The flamethrower was launched about two seconds too late, and missed it's mark completely. Ariana gritted her teeth together tightly: that little grass-type could move!

She also knew that with Poison Powder in affect, Magmortar wouldn't last long: she had to finish this. She called out. "Flamethrower again, then follow up with Fire Punch!" Magmortar grimaced but nodded and obeyed. It raised both arms and fired off two flamethrowers before charging in, fist's lighting on fire.

Ash shook his head. Overconfidence killed trainers these days. He would wrap this battle up quickly and strongly. No moves could hit his Pokémon; therefore, no moves _would _hit his Pokémon. He suddenly realized the irony of his previous thoughts but shook them off, staying concentrated on the battle. "Bulbasaur, first dodge the flamethrowers!"

Bulbasaur, using it's small frame, slipped by both flamethrowers by running towards them. Unbeknownst to Ash, this was what Ariana wanted. She cried out triumphantly. "Now that they're too close, they can't dodge! Hit it with your Fire Punch, GO!" Magmortar roared and charged the tiny grass Pokémon, who looked utterly helpless in front of it. Ariana couldn't help but think to herself, _'He made that awfully easy for me… it's almost like… he wanted it to—' _Her eyes widened and she yelled. "Quick Magmortar, get out of there!"

Ash smirked again. "Too Late! Trip it with Vine Whip and jump up!" Bulbasaur leapt at the fire type and swung it's vines at its legs. Magmortar stumbled and rolled forward before landing on its back. Bulbasaur was already in mid-flight. Ash waved his arm downwards and commanded. "Finish this! Venoshock!"

Ariana's eyes bulged open in horror. "No!" There was nothing she could have done. The double-powered poison move struck Magmortar head on, and an explosion blanketed the area. Bulbasaur landed perfectly on its legs while the smoke cleared and revealed a knocked out Magmortar. The referee was a bit surprised but raised his flag. "Magmortar is unable to battle, Bulbasaur wins!"

The crowd exploded into cheers for their champion. Ariana was stunned, how was she so easily swatted aside? She returned Magmortar quietly before saying with a smirk on her face. "I will admit Ghost, you caught me off guard once; it won't happen again." She tossed another pokeball up into the air to reveal a Samourott. Ash had another vivid vision of his Oshawott from back in the day, but stayed emotionless. He returned Bulbasaur and murmured. "Thank you, old friend."

He then took out another pokeball and called out. "I need your assistance." The Pokémon materialized and took form. It was a familiar sight to some people, and it cried out loudly. "Sceeeeptttiiillleeee!"

Somewhere in the stadium, a small voice could be heard screaming, "It's _that_Pokémon again!" Ash stifled a chuckle, knowing this Pokémon was bound to be recognized after it's first battle ended so well.

That was why this battle was going to end in his favor.

The referee raised both flags and yelled. "Samurott vs. Sceptile… Begin!"

Ariana knew she didn't have any help this time. She had to make something happen with type-disadvantage. She did, however, have a few moves that could help. "Ice Beam, but on the ground!" The water type nodded before freezing the ground entirely. Ash grinned; this was more like it! He wanted a good fight, not an easy one. That was, it was tougher to actually make it an easy fight.

"Sceptile, Hone Claws. Let's jack up that attack stat." Ash left out the other part just in case Ariana forgot. She didn't appear to notice and she called out. "Now! Force it onto the ice by using Ice Beam!" Ash groaned and shook his head; now she was making obvious plays again, not good for her.

Ash yelled. "Skate onto the ice!" To her complete surprise, Sceptile began nimbly skating around on the ice and Ash called out. "Shadow Claw!" The Pokémon struck Samurott in its side, who collapsed in pain before getting up after a moment. She narrowed her eyes. She was beginning to realize why Ghost was champion: he was simply relentless in battle. He had a tactic for every tactic.

Unfortunately for her, while lost in thought, Ash called out another move. "Hone Claws once more." She suddenly yelled. "Surf! Ride your own wave and crush it!" Ash's eyes widened a little at that command, and just as Sceptile finished charging up his stats, he saw the massive wave of water about to smoother him. Ash thought rapidly for a tactic, and to his shock, he came up with one.

"Skate the opposite way, and use your claws to navigate!" He knew the blind speed of his Pokémon could _possibly_outwit Samurott, as unlikely as it was. Ariana laughed. "Ghost! Come on! I know it's a longshot but seriously, you don't think it's actually going to—" She was cut off when she suddenly saw Sceptile launch itself above the wave. She sputtered. "H-huh!?" Ash roared. "Unleash Focus Blast!"

A massive explosion was sent out, with Water and smoke going everywhere. When the smoke cleared a few seconds later, the crowd cheered when they saw both Sceptile and Samurott both standing.

_Meanwhile, up in the stands…_

The traitors were watching the battle with interest. Trip was watching with the most invested, however, as he knew that even though Max said he was going to beat him, he refused to believe it. Max was slightly delusional in a "reality" sense. He was always overconfident, while he himself felt as though he was more on a line of "Cautiously optimistic." He knew he could clobber Max and anyone else as long as he struck first and struck often. Next to him, Max was bewildered. "I don't get it."

Trip raised an eyebrow towards him. "What?"

He shook his head. "Why did he make his stupid Sceptile learn an entire new move set?!" Misty, who was sitting close to her boyfriend, questioned. "Maybe it's to throw us off? Maybe he knows we're keeping track of him."

Trip shook his head. "I doubt it. Plus, three new moves in such a short time isn't easy to do, even for Ghost's standards."

Cilan pointed out. "He _is _the champion. Maybe he just has more than one."

Now _that_, Trip couldn't argue. He looked back to the battle, lost in thought. He knew something was off, but he just couldn't place his finger on it…

_Battlefield…_

Ariana knew she had to try something. Sceptile hadn't been hit once and her last Pokémon would be forced to knock out all three of Ghost's if she wasn't careful. She had to think carefully. She called out. "Use Scald and Melt all the ice! Let's take away his speed advantage!" Samurott let loose a titanic stream of hot water to melt all the ice.

Ash had to admit; it was smooth thinking. It was too bad for her, because Samurott had sustained so much damage already that by this point one more attack and it was out of the battle for good. As long as Sceptile didn't get hit, there were no problems to be had. Ash called out the move he hoped would be the dagger.

"Use Shadow Claw and wrap this up!"

As Sceptile charged in, Ariana finally saw an opening. "Now! Megahorn!" Ash's eyes widened just in the slightest at the command. He saw in slow motion as Sceptile struck Samurott on the side of its neck with the attack, but at the same time, Samurott drilled into Sceptile's side with the super-effective bug type move. Both Pokémon hit the ground, but Sceptile slowly got up. Samurott, did not.

"Samurott is unable to battle, Scept—" he was cut off when a light flashed around Sceptile and revealed a black and red Pokémon that seemed to look like a fox. The crowd gasped in surprise. Ash chuckled and said. "Guess there's no point in denying it; my second Pokémon was Zoroark."

The referee nodded and announced. "Samurott is unable to battle, _Zoroark _is the winner!" The picture of Samurott faded away and Xavier chuckled. "Well, I suppose we know whose coming out to battle now."

Ariana was now in a slight state of panic. How on earth was she going to win now? The only bright side of this entire situation was that she now knew Ghost's final Pokémon. The downside was that it hadn't even seen the light of battle yet. She frowned and tossed her final Pokémon into the air once Samurott had been returned and released her final Pokémon: A Medicham.

Ash frowned at this choice: he had to be careful. He suddenly realized he could have a way out of this if he played his hand right. He told the referee. "I'll be sticking with Zoroark."

The referee nodded and Ariana was confused at this choice. Why was he not swapping to Sceptile or Bulbasaur? Both of them had not taken damage. So, why was Zoroark, the Pokémon that had still sustained a super-effective move, still in the battle? Ghost had a trick up his sleeve, but Ariana was bewildered at what it could be. There was only one way to find out.

"Medicham vs Zoroark… Begin!"

_Alola Elites…_

Zandra grinned. "Ash is on point right now."

July questioned her friend. "I don't like that last decision, with the cat out of the bag for Sceptile, why is he not in the match right now?" Xavier suddenly spoke. "Ah…"

Axel narrowed his eyes. "What's so funny?"

Xavier laughed. "Ah, I just realized why Ash stuck with Zoroark, it's more simple than you'd think, actually." Axel shook his head. "Care to enlighten us?" Xavier shrugged. "It's because of the stat changes. Zoroark may have been damaged, but it also jacked up it's stats in that fight, and if he gets removed, Zoroark loses its stat changes."

July blinked. "It's that simple?"

Zandra nodded. "Yep, and on top of that, Medicham isn't really known for special attack moves or having high defense, and my money says Zoroark is faster than it. If I'm thinking about this correctly… Ash is going to go for the all or nothing shot." Axel couldn't believe it. "You're saying he's just going to try and end it in one move? That's not like Ash at all."

Xavier grinned. "Exactly. Ariana has done her research on him, and this isn't anywhere in his battle files. She won't know what he's planning. I'd be willing to bet my position in this tournament that she knows Sceptile's move set, and while she does know Zoroark's moves, she doesn't know one of them yet. Ash will either go for the kill shot or likely flex Zoroark's last move in order to take out this Medicham, mark my words."

_Battlefield…_

"Zoroark, use Hone Claws!" Ash ordered. The dark type nodded before building up its stats once more. Ariana ordered. "Medicham, we'll need to build up our stats too! Use Swords Dance!"

As Medicham powered up its attack, Ash yelled. "Hone Claws! Keep pace with it!" Ariana grinned, knowing she was going to win this fight. She commanded. "Swords Dance! This is our chance to maximize our attack!"

And so, it became a stat battle, but it was clear that. Zoroark was on the losing side. Swords Dance almost doubled your attack for each time you use it, but for Hone Claws, it gained both Accuracy and Attack at a much slower rate. The crowd was murmuring softly, knowing that this battle could be decided in one simple move. Both trainers didn't say a word for a time being, both looking at one another with darted glances, almost daring the other to attack first, and seeing who would break the silence.

It was Ariana who snapped first. "Now! Close Combat! End it!" Medicham hopped around and cried out as it attempted to knock out Ash's dark-type. Ash calmly said. "Evade it!" Zoroark leaned right and dodged the incoming blow. Ariana frowned, even damaged, Zoroark was still nimble and evasive.

Ariana ordered. "Keep going till you get it!"

Ash smirked. "Keep evading!"

Medicham continued to throw punches and kicks every which way while Zoroark continued to slip by each one. Ariana was getting more and more agitated as Zoroark seemingly had endless reservoirs of stamina. She knew she had to end this, and Close Combat was not working. It slightly pained her to unleash her secret weapon move, but she knew it was now or never if she wanted to beat the champion. She raised her arm and yelled. "Charge up Focus Punch and Unleash it!"

The crowd gasped a little as Medicham began to charge up a move that would most certainly knock out Zoroark. What was even more stunning was that Ash was not giving Zoroark any command. Medicham cried out. "Medi!" Ariana cheered and lowered her arm. "Go!" Medicham rushed Zoroark and unloaded into it.

Ash gave one simple command that would essentially decide the battle. "Counter."

Ariana had heard it, and she felt her heart drop. Just as Medicham's fist connected and before it could do any damage, it was sent hurtling in the air from the Counter. While it was hanging in midair, Zoroark appeared, both claws already glowing a dark purple. Ash grinned. "Finish it."

Zoroark didn't need to be told twice. "Zzoooooooorrraaaa!" It roared as it drilled the opposition with a duel shadow claw tactic. The force of the move sent Medicham into the ground, and Zoroark landed on its legs. Medicham could be seen in the bottom of a ditch created by the two moves with swirls in its eyes. The crowd exploded into cheers and the referee made the announcement.

"Medicham is unable to continue, Zoroark is the winner! Therefore, the winner of this match and the trainer moving onto the second round is Ghost, the Champion of Alola!" As he said it, Ariana's picture was greyed out and Ghost's picture was put into the center of the big screen.

Ariana fell to her knees in shock. She was out. She had been eliminated. All the time she had practiced into being the very best she could be was gone. She had done it all for nothing. Cynthia would most certainly be disappointed in her, now what was she going to do? She stood up slowly and saw Ghost approaching her. She expected her to say harsh words, but to her surprise, it was nothing of the sort.

"You battled well. Become bonded with each of your Pokémon," He held out his hand. "And good things will happen." She stared at the hand for a moment before smiling and shaking it. As she walked off the field, Ghost walked back to his side and once he got into the battler's box, he got down on one knee. Zoroark approached him and did the same thing. He stayed down for another moment or so with his eyes closed. After a few more seconds, he spoke quietly.

"For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Zoroark murmured. "Zo-ra…" He then pushed himself to his feet and took out Zoroark's pokeball. He said quietly. "Thank you Zoroark, you battled well." He then clipped the pokeball to his belt and walked out of the stadium to a thunderous applause. He didn't acknowledge the crowd once, because that was the face he found himself putting on: The mask of an unknown.

**AN: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! My apologies for this coming out a day later than intended, but as I predicted, it's been tough with college around the corner again for me! Just hang in there guys! In Heinz sight maybe I should've made the May section a little bit longer but it didn't turn out that way, sorry guys!**

**Either way the chapter is over 8k words, so that's good! A recap: Serena is suddenly painted in a different picture, May is now officially into the Ghost, Ash clobbered his first opponent, and what exactly did Meowth give to Ash? Guess you'll have to keep on reading the story to find out!**

**If you're new please follow, favorite and review! It would mean a lot to me and the story if y'all did so! Thanks guys! Until the next one!**

**LegionZ**


	11. Six Years in the Making

**Hey Everyone! Welcome back to Chapter 11 of the story! If you're new, please follow and favorite the story! It would mean a ton to me and, of course, it would help this story to grow. Jeez I type that so much it honestly feels like I could do it by heart hahahaha. That's enough said on that, we can now get into other things!**

**So, I forgot to say **_**HAPPY DOUBLE DIGITS! **_**This story's chapter mark hit 10 last chapter, and I forgot to mention it. Hahah, sorry guys! I also lost track of just how many words I typed in total for this story, and I guessed it was around 60,000, and put that in the main chapter before I edited it. (If you paid attention, you would know that I was off by a small amount… only twenty… twenty **_**thousand **_**that is.) As it turned out, my story had actually hit **_**80,000**_** and not 60. So, we are officially twenty thousand words more than The Betrayed Rises! That's insane!**

**Another milestone I wanted to talk about are the Followers and Favorite Counts! As I'm typing this, The Chosen One's Wrath just broke the 200 Favorite Meter and the Follower Meter is about to break 250! That is nothing short of **_**amazing! **_**Honestly I'm so glad that you all seem to enjoy this story so much! Keep the love coming in everybody, because we got a whole lot of story left to cover! **

**I'm honestly not sure just how long this chapter is going to be in the end. As per usual, I expect it to be more than 7k, and I'd be honestly surprised if it wasn't. By the time I finish this chapter, I will likely have gone back to college, so hang in there everyone! I am unsure of when this will get posted, but hopefully, it's exactly a week from today.**

**Enjoy the chapter everyone! **

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 11**

_Last Chapter…_

_The final picture he was handed was an odd one. It appeared to be the traitors arguing about something. Bonnie was huddled up next to Max, who was yelling and screaming about something. Serena was nowhere in Ash's sight for some reason. Trip was pointing down at a piece of paper, and Cilan was talking with him about something in depth._

_Ash blinked. "What… what are these symbolizing? None of these pictures mean anything!" He was a bit annoyed. To his surprise, James grinned a little. "Take a closer look at the blonde twerpette." Ash raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Looks like Bonnie is just trying to grope her soon to be pummeled boyfriend."_

_James' grin only widened. "Not that blonde twerpette… the other blonde twerpette." Ash's eyes widened a little and his eyes darted to the pictures. He ran his eyes over the first picture, and it confirmed what James was saying. He saw the face Serena was making, and there was no mistaking it; it wasn't a grossed out picture. She looked rather… sad. James motioned. "Look at the toy in the window."_

_Ash's eyes bulged open when he saw it. A Pikachu doll. No way, that couldn't be a coincidence… He had to confirm what he was seeing, but no matter how hard he looked at the picture, the big picture didn't leave his mind. He looked at the next picture, and his eyes widened when he saw what Serena was looking at on her phone; A picture of Lumiose Airport. The place where…_

_He glanced back at the third picture and after a moment of searching, he found Serena in the background with her phone tilted up, almost like…_

"_She's taking a video of them! But the real question is why is she taking the video in the first place?" James replied. "I didn't take the first two pictures, but I did take the last one and I also followed her around somewhat. I gathered enough information to make a journey to the Kalos Region myself due to pure curiosity." Ash spoke slowly. "Something tells me you aren't telling me all this just to tell me you came up empty handed." His friend grinned. "You bet right. Turns out, Serena's mother went missing a day before she left for her journey in Hoenn."_

_Ash's eyes narrowed just in the slightest. "Wait, six years ago? She disappeared just before I was pronounced dead? How have I not heard about this?" James explained. "That was bugging me as well. I walked to Vaniville town in Kalos and did some digging, and I came up with stunning information. I found out that she went missing for just ten days total, before her kidnappers returned her."_

_"Kidnapped?"_

_James nodded. "Yes, but that isn't the most odd part." Ash questioned. "Then what was it?"_

_"It was the fact that, supposedly, she was returned home uninjured, and, the kidnappers supposedly didn't get anything from it." He explained, unable to keep the slightly excited tone out of his voice. Ash was silent for a moment, taking this all in. "That's… really odd… she was held for just a week and a half, then she was given back with no ransom? That's almost like… almost like she was a…"_

_"Bargaining Chip." James finished for him. Ash looked at him and then, everything fit together. When she had kissed him at the airport… Bonnie had been there. She had seen Serena kiss him! That could only mean…_

"_You think the traitors forced Serena into turning against me by using her Mom as a leverage?_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_I'll buy you dinner, just the two of us, if you beat me! And if I win, you pay for our dinner, deal?" May exploded. That was enough! "Why, the nerve of that Slut!" She roared in anger, almost surprising even herself. Thankfully for her, a hoard of boys yelling that they would take the offer in a heartbeat drowned out her rather loud remark and kept her outburst from being known._

_Ghost, meanwhile, shot back. "I'll make you a counter offer: If you win, you can move on in the tournament, and if I win, I move on in the tournament. How does that sound?" May was shocked at how calm and straightforward Ghost was being; every other male in the stadium just appeared to want to get into her pants, and all he wanted was to battle. She couldn't help but look around and notice something else rather odd: there were many females staring down at the field as well as males. She came to the cold hard truth: Ghost was a man who attracted many._

_She sent death glares to one or two girls, but then, she stopped and thought about what she was doing. She tried to move the feeling elsewhere that was building up inside her, but it was no use: she was hopelessly jealous. She honestly couldn't believe it, but she had no choice but to accept it. She felt as though she had finally moved on from Ash, and that was what Ash probably would've wanted anyway. There was only one issue: she was now interested in a regional champion. _

_She found herself staring at the boy in the red vest. She also knew it was hopeless to resist him, even though he wasn't even trying. She knew she liked Ghost now, the catch was telling him, and of course, hoping he felt the same way._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Ash gave one simple command that would essentially decide the battle. "Counter."_

_Ariana had heard it, and she felt her heart drop. Just as Medicham's fist connected and before it could do any damage, it was sent hurtling in the air from the Counter. While it was hanging in midair, Zoroark appeared, both claws already glowing a dark purple. Ash grinned. "Finish it."_

_Zoroark didn't need to be told twice. "Zzoooooooorrraaaa!" It roared as it drilled the opposition with a duel shadow claw tactic. The force of the move sent Medicham into the ground, and Zoroark landed on its legs. Medicham could be seen in the bottom of a ditch created by the two moves with swirls in its eyes. The crowd exploded into cheers and the referee made the announcement. _

"_Medicham is unable to continue, Zoroark is the winner! Therefore, the winner of this match and the trainer moving onto the second round is Ghost, the Champion of Alola!" As he said it, Ariana's picture was greyed out and Ghost's picture was put into the center of the big screen. _

_Ariana fell to her knees in shock. She was out. She had been eliminated. All the time she had practiced into being the very best she could be was gone. She had done it all for nothing. Cynthia would most certainly be disappointed in her, now what was she going to do? She stood up slowly and saw Ghost approaching her. She expected her to say harsh words, but to her surprise, it was nothing of the sort._

"_You battled well. Become bonded with each of your Pokémon," He held out his hand. "And good things will happen." She stared at the hand for a moment before smiling and shaking it. As she walked off the field, Ghost walked back to his side and once he got into the battler's box, he got down on one knee. Zoroark approached him and did the same thing. He stayed down for another moment or so with his eyes closed. After a few more seconds, he spoke quietly._

"_For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."_

_Zoroark murmured. "Zo-ra…" He then pushed himself to his feet and took out Zoroark's pokeball. He said quietly. "Thank you Zoroark, you battled well." He then clipped the pokeball to his belt and walked out of the stadium to a thunderous applause. He didn't acknowledge the crowd once, because that was the face he found himself putting on: The mask of an unknown. _

_Present…_

Ash was watching the battle's with boredom aplenty. It was the day after he had conquered his opening battle in the tournament, and he was now watching the second round. He made a mental tally of who advanced. All his elites, naturally, had won their fights, as well as the champions of every region. As for the traitors, they had gotten quite lucky. All five of the traitors participating (Trip, Misty, Max, Cilan, and Iris) had won their battles and to Ash's shock, with near perfection. However, this only brought a smile to his face; it only made the taste of sweet victory last longer.

He had also found out that some of his rivals from past tournaments had won and were also participating. Barry was taking part, and his Empoleon was playing his part to perfection. Barry, Ash noted, was also in his bracket, and if it continued the way it was, they had a chance to battle in the next round assuming Barry knocked off Gym Leader Brawley from the Hoenn region for his next opponent.

Paul, much to Ash's cheerfulness, was also competing. He, however, was in an alternate bracket to Ash. While Ash had been placed in Bracket Zekrom, Paul was in the Arceus Bracket. Other notable names from the Arceus Bracket were Gym Leaders Maylene from Veilstone City, Elesa from Nimbassa City, and Ramos from Coumarine City. Of course, these were not the only gym leaders in the Arceus Bracket. Some other names that were easily recognized were Elite Four Member Lucian from Johto/Kanto, Shauntal from Unova, and of course, his very own Elite, Zandra. Representing as the Champion of that Bracket was Lance. He made a mental note to pay attention and see if Zandra and Lance would have to battle it out.

After summarizing the past battle victors, he made a tally of who everyone was facing next. Axel was dueling a no-name trainer of some sort, as were July and Zandra. However, Xavier, the player of the group, had an interesting opponent to go against in Conway, the slightly… alright, _very _creepy guy who had stalked his group while they travelled Sinnoh. Xavier's rather blunt style would clash with Conway's confusing tactics, but Ash had no doubt Xavier would win.

There was only one other truly notable battle other than his own, and it was with nobody that he was allied with. It was disappointing that he would be unable to duel every traitor since it wasn't possible to actually take on each one in the tournament. It was Cilan the traitor versus the person Ash was arguably most worried about; the rather dangerous Abel Winchine. Abel was in the Bracket across from him in the Yvetal Bracket. Ash almost felt sorry for Cilan, but then again, of course he didn't.

He knew Abel was no pushover, and he also knew that regardless of the fact that _two _champions (Alder and Steven) were in his Bracket, he knew that Abel would be a Dark Horse candidate for the Yvetal Bracket champion. July would have her hands full with him as well. Ash also knew he had lucked out in his own Bracket when it came to traitors; he got three out of five of all of them in his bracket. He was slated up to have possible matchups with Misty, Max, and Iris. Trip had been placed in the Giratina Bracket, and to be honest, there wasn't a ton of competition there other than his own elite Axel and Champion Cynthia. He couldn't wait to get his chance to bury them in the dirt.

But, that was getting far ahead of himself. For now, he was pondering his next opponent. He was thinking over possible strategies to use to possibly knock off all of his opponents Pokémon with ease. It wasn't hard _deciding_ on which Pokémon to use; he already had a plan on who to use… and, he had another something he could do to really agitate his opponent.

His thoughts were interrupted rather suddenly. "Yo G."

Ash turned his head unconsciously to see Xavier standing there. He wasn't sure why Xavier called him that, but he responded anyway. "Yes?"

The male spoke. "A girl named S-Y is outside for you, she says she's coming on urgent business."

Ash froze. He knew what those initials stood for.

"S-Y, Xavier?"

Xavier nodded. "Yeah."

Ash stood up and said calmly. "Tell them I'll be right out." Xavier nodded and vanished outside. Ash motioned for Pikachu to hop on his shoulder, and he did so. Ash muttered. "You know, I would've been very surprised about her showing here had I not seen James' pictures, but now that she's here, it's time to find out if she's been on the right side all these years and I didn't know about it."

Pikachu asked. "Pika Pi? Piii Pika-Pikachu?"

Ash shook his head in disbelief. "No, I'm not going to reveal myself to her! If anyone I'd reveal it to May—" He sucked in a breath when he realized what he said and prayed Pikachu wasn't listening, but to his misfortune, that was not the case. Pikachu suddenly cried out and pointed at him with shock written all over the mouse's face.

"PI! Pika Pi!"

Ash groaned a little in annoyance, a little bit ticked off at himself for letting that one slip out. He shook his head and tried to regain his composure. "Look, I don't know how I feel about May right now. She's amazing, just like I remember her."

"Pikachuuu… Pika?"

Ash blinked. "Well of course she's beautiful—" He slapped a hand to his mouth and Pikachu burst out laughing. "Pi! Pi! Pi! Pika Pi!" Ash bit his lip and muttered. "I have _got _to keep my mouth shut about May, she's driving me crazy at this point."

He then walked out of the room in the direction Xavier left and he saw the girl standing there. Her most recognizable feature was undoubtedly her honey-blonde hair. She tensed up at seeing the boy in the red vest, the Pikachu on his shoulder at attention, though she noticed it's lips were curled in a slight smile. She chose to ignore that, however, and spoke with a slight stutter. "U-Um… Mr. G-ghost?"

"Yes?"

She cleared her throat and said. "M-My name is—" He cut her off. "I know who you are Serena Yvonne. Why are you here?" A small '_eep_' of surprise came out when he said her name, and it took her a moment to say. "C-can I please talk to you in private Mr. Ghost? I promise it will be worth your time."

Ash frowned and said coldly. "I'll be taking your word for that." After a second, he then motioned for her to follow him into another passageway that led to his battle suite. It was a concrete passage, very simplistic. He stopped about halfway through it and said. "Well? What is it?"

She hesitated before slowly handing him a file of sorts. Pikachu cocked it's head and murmured. "Pikaaaa?" Ash began shifting through the pictures and files that were there, and he came to a single picture than he recognized. It was the same picture James had gotten from Serena's angle! If you looked extremely closely, you could see James' camera poking out in the center of the picture.

Although he had an idea of what she was doing, Ash had to feign confusion. "What exactly am I looking at?"

Serena spoke with a newfound confidence. "I-I wanted to do an exchange of information. That is information on my friends; they're planning to sabotage you and other people in this tournament for their own gains. They just want to reap the rewards of this tournament and take anything they want. I also included every one of their Pokémon they use, and the ones they use most often, so that you can counter them."

Ash closed the file. "As helpful as this is to me, I know you didn't just bring this here to me for free; what's the catch?"

She hesitated and spoke quietly. "I… I need your help solving a murder."

Ash wasn't as dense as the first time he had been with May; he knew what she was talking about, although she didn't know he was already aware. "I see, continue."

She did so. She explained everything May had told him, about how a boy named Ash Ketchum had been tragically killed by an erupting volcano. She then went into detail about how she was with the traitors when it had happened and how she had watched Ash fall to his death. He knew this was the complete truth, and she also told him why she had been coerced into doing it: her mom. Her mother didn't know who her kidnappers were, and Serena knew her mom wouldn't believe Ash's old friends would do such a heinous thing.

Ash spoke aloud. "So, if I was guessing, you want me to investigate this death and see if there's any proof of him being killed from the day that Volcano exploded?"

Serena murmured. "Yes… I know that the day it happened was over Six years ago, but the ones who caused this death are in this tournament, if you could just help me with something… anything to prove they're guilty in killing the one I loved… that's what I'm asking from you Ghost…"

Ash had caught onto her words. "Wait, you loved him?"

Serena turned a dark shade of red and mumbled. "… Yes. I did love him… we had shared our first kiss not too long before that incident, he… he must've been so confused when I told him those words… they still haunt me to this day…" Ash, for some reason, wanted to know just how far she was willing to go. "What words did you tell him?"

She began to cry softly, and after a moment, she said the same words she told him over half a decade ago. "All you ever do Ash, is break things. Whether it's your own dreams, people's item's, or other people's hearts, you're nothing to us."

Ash knew that it was painfully true by now: Serena was truly on his side. She was not a traitor; she was an ally. But, she would not be the first to see him for who he truly was. He couldn't give away that much… yet. He hesitated before speaking quietly. "I see, so you want vengeance for those who forced you into that position…"

She nodded slowly and continued to sniff. "Y-Yes… Yes… I would be forever in your debt if you were to help me…" Ash thought out his words carefully. "Very Well. I will aid you in this quest of yours, but it is only because we here in Alola believe in Justice being served, but I hope you know, I cannot convict anyone until I have solid information and proof that Ash Ketchum was murdered, and not tragically killed by a source of nature. Are you willing to admit to this, Miss Serena?"

She nodded and said with a little more of an upbeat tone than she had intended. "Of course Ghost! Thank you so much for your help! I can't say how grateful I am right now!" Ghost nodded and had the slightest of smiles appear on his face. "I will contact you when I have information. I do not know when this will be, but I will keep my word."

Serena seemed to accept this and she said her goodbyes before walking away. Ash then rubbed his temples and went back to his seat, mind deep in turmoil. How was he going to deal with this? Serena had been _forced _into betraying him? He had felt all his anger for her wash away in a moment but now he was forced with other issues: proving that the traitors were legit, and of course, that she was as well. There was no evidence, well, concrete evidence at least, that what Serena was saying was 100% true, so Ash had to play along until he could confirm it.

He thought about his conversation with her and realized that his thoughts during it were too rash, and he suspected he himself jumped to conclusions. He could not allow this to happen in such a dire situation. His thoughts then drifted back to one gorgeous brunette who he had recently began to found even more alluring than he remembered her. It was painful to not kiss her, to not hug her, to be there for her, and all of the above. It hurt badly to even think about her being with another male.

He thought about her stellar form. She had a flawless face, a perfect chest, a excellently tight bum, a pair of legs to die for, and curves that drove any male she was within range of go crazy with desire for her. He, as surprising as it was, found himself becoming one of them. He found the entire situation with her unbelievable. Here he was, Ghost, the invincible warrior of Alola who feared none and was feared by all, showing his one singular weakness: an attractive brunette.

He then routed the corner and stopped cold. Fate had an odd way with its twists and turns. He saw the very same girl had kept his eyes and mind on as of recently walking in the opposite direction of him. She wasn't being very keen of her surroundings, Ash noted, and carefully watched her. Normally, this would be considered stalking, but Ash assured himself that he was doing it for the right reasons.

… was he? He honestly thought he was doing the right thing but he could practically _feel _that little voice in the back of his head nagging at him to stop and leave this beautiful girl alone. Eventually, as she was getting further away from his view, he decided to finally listen to this voice and turned away. However, just as he was about to completely lose sight of her, he saw something that made his heart slightly drop.

Through the massive crowds, he spotted two males slowly trailing her. He could just _tell _that they were on her trail. He frowned; this would not do.

_May…_

She silently cursed her foul fortune. She had spotted Ghost talking to a girl with blonde hair but had not seen who it was. Then, she tried to see if she could get close to him, only to be entirely befuddled. She saw them vanish around a stadium corner and when she had gone to catch them, they were not there. Even more strangely, there were no visible doors. Assuming they were still ahead, she ran further up to try and see if she could find them.

Much to her chagrin, they were not there. She hesitated carefully, thinking about where she could go to see them. Perhaps she missed them somewhere? After another minute or so of scanning the crowd, she decided to turn back and try to find him again. She continued to walk in a complete circle and suddenly, she found herself at a darkened dead end. How had she even gotten here? She turned to leave but was surprised by two men standing there with smirks on their faces. One of them with a giant beard said with a grin. "Well Well… look what we found here…"

May took a step back unconsciously and the other said with a vicious smirk on his face. "Looks like it's our lucky day… having such a beautiful young lass all to ourselves… my my… I can't wait to get my hands beneath your pants…" He trailed off with a look in his eyes that May recognized. He was lustful, and she was going to be his prize.

She went to grip a pokeball off her waist, but before she could, she felt a body press up against her and saw it was the male with the beard. He grinned evilly. "Sorry Miss, but nobody is coming to help you now." She could do nothing now as the two men were about to take her. May's only hope now was a miracle to happen. She was about to scream when suddenly, she stopped moving altogether.

She saw a figure standing in the alley behind them. The two must've noticed her shock, because they both stopped attempting to grope the beauty and turned to see the figure cloaked in darkness. The one with the beard tossed May against a wall and the other yelled. "Who the hell do you think you are, stalking us like that!" Not even realized the irony in his own words, he wordlessly tossed up a pokeball to reveal a Swalot, and his partner yelled. "Skarmory, let's go!"

As the steel type took the field, the figure wordlessly tossed two Pokémon in the air. They materialized into the mystical ice-ghost type, Froslass, and the Purple Cat Eeveeolution, Espeon. The two attackers yelled their commands.

"Swalot, use Sludge Bomb!"

"Skarmory, hit em with a Drill Peck!"

As the two attacks sailed towards the figure's Pokémon, the figure finally spoke. May would remember the coldness in the man's voice, it sounded beyond angry, in fact, it was almost like he wanted to _kill _her attackers.

"Espeon, Use Psychic to direct Sludge Bomb away. Froslass, use hail to avoid Drill Peck." Espeon's eyes glowed blue as did the Sludge Bomb. Then, it was tossed aside and pegged a nearby wall. Froslass opened it's arm's up to begin hail, and just as it began to fall, Skarmory struck down on the Ice-Ghost type.

Well, until it realized it wasn't Froslass at all. The bearded man spluttered. "W-w-wha… What just happened? Where i-is it?" Although the two men were completely bewildered, May knew exactly what had happened. This man knew Froslass' ability was Snow Cloak, which made it able to avoid most attacks in a hail storm. Clearly, these two men were just brutes who wanted to dive into a pretty girl's pants, and she felt immediately safer in the presence of this stranger who had come to her aid.

The other shook his head. "I don't know, but it doesn't matter! We're still kicking this guy's ass! Swalot, triple Sludge Bomb on that cat!" The other regained his composure and cried out. "Flash Cannon on Froslass as soon as you see it!"

"Froslass, evade by using Double Team into Phantom Force. Espeon, slip by the Sludge Bomb and use Psychic on Swalot, toss it into Skarmory."

As the two special attacks were about to connect, a flurry of different things happened. Once more, Froslass disappeared, this time, with Phantom Force. It began to use Double Team rapidly and combined it with its ability along with Phantom Force, and it literally looked as though Froslass was flying around _everywhere_ across the alley, totally bamboozling the men. Meanwhile, Espeon hurtled the poison attack and using Psychic, hurled Swalot into an unsuspecting Skarmory.

The men, who saw their Pokémon were surrounded, had to think quick.

"Flash Cannon, hit Froslass!"

"You use Poison Gas in a circle, find it!"

But it was no use. The attacks continued to miss hopelessly as Froslass' evasion increased due to Hail, then again due to Double Team, and _again _because it kept using Phantom Force, making it appear and reappear throughout dimensions. The figure made a chopping motion. "Blizzard."

From all of Froslass' copies, they each fired off a Blizzard all at once, totally freezing the poor Pokémon in the middle, who were very knocked out. The men frantically returned their Pokémon and then began to slowly back away from the man, their worst fears about to be confirmed by their silent attacker. "Espeon, Psychic."

The next thing the two men knew, they were tossed again the wall and being held there forcefully by Psychic. May stared in complete awe as he got very close to the two men and whispered sadistically. "It's people like you that _poison_ this world. You are the scum of the planet, the ones who feed off the innocent. When you are tried and sent to prison, you shall receive no mercy. Know this, because here in Alola, you will not get away with crimes. We shall always find you and, in the end, you will be eradicated. Consider _this…_ a parting gift." He snapped his fingers and Espeon's eyes glowed blue along with Froslass' as well. The men began screaming in pain, and as the Pokémon held their power against the two, the figure helped May to her feet.

"I-I don't even know w-what to say…" She murmured softly. The figure spoke, the coldness in his voice almost gone entirely. Where had there been such a drastic change? He made to walk away, but she cried out. "W-wait!"

He paused and turned around. The two Pokémon were no longer attacking the men, who were curled up crying on the ground. They were now by his side, waiting for instructions. "I… I didn't g-get your name!" The sound of sirens suddenly filled the air and a few seconds later, doors were heard slamming. An Officer Jenny sprinted into the alley and sighed in relief. "Wow, I'm glad you both are alright. Miss Maple, are you okay?"

She blinked in confusion; how did the police know already? "I'm fine, thank you!" Jenny nodded in understanding and turned to the figure.

"Ghost, did they give you trouble?"

"Quite a bit in fact."

As the two talked further, May felt her jaw hit the ground. She couldn't believe it; the figure… the figure…

… the person who had saved her was _Ghost? _As in, the one she had a terrible crush on? She couldn't believe it, he didn't even sound like himself! Why did he sound so… distorted? He almost sounded possessed while giving out his commands, but he had never sounded like that before, so why was there such a difference in his commands if they were both just simple battles? It didn't make sense, in all honesty. It was then that she realized just how much Ghost had given her and done for her, she wanted to make it up to him. But what could she do? She honestly had no clue.

A rather bold idea came to her and after a moment of much mental debate, she decided to use it. As he finished up his conversation with Jenny, who was now escorting the two whimpering criminals to her police car under the supervision of a few other officers, Ghost turned to May. "Now then, like I was—" He was cut off when May pushed her lips to his. Ghost froze in place as the pretty, no, _beautiful_ girl was kissing him passionately on the lips.

Ash's whole mind was in absolute shock. Her lips tasted somewhat like strawberries, a taste that he loved so much. They were soft and tender, yet the kiss was firm and oh-so amazing. Ash felt himself slip away at the amazing contact as he tried to figure out what the actual hell was going on at the moment, because his entire mind was working overdrive to figure out what to do after a hot girl kisses you. _'Oh My God! OH MY GOD! She's… she's… she's m-making out with m-me! W-what the hell am I supposed to d-do?' _the rational part of his brain piped up. _'Kiss her back you buffoon.'_

So, that was what he did; he pressed back. He cupped May's bum and pulled her into his strong arms, earning an approving moan from her. She was determined to not break the kiss, however, and pulled his neck down to kiss him even deeper. He held her perfect bum in one hand while putting his other hand on the back of her head, making her deepen the kiss further, earning yet another happy moan of bliss. When they finally _did _break the kiss, May murmured softly.

"I've been wanting to do that for a little while…" Ash chuckled softly. "That makes two of us Miss Maple." She giggled and said quietly. "My hero…"

Ash smiled a little, and the next thing he knew, she had crushed her mouth against his once again. He placed both hands underneath her backside and squeezed, feeling her warm bum fill his hands. The two continued to kiss without a care in the world; they had finally found each other, and although Ash hadn't revealed himself yet, he didn't care.

He wanted May to be his, and now… she was.

He chuckled softly while their lips were still connected and broke the kiss. He said quietly. "Want to help me with something?"

She grinned a little. "What is that, exactly?"

He smirked. "Just has something to do with you becoming my girlfriend…"

She had a smirk of her own plastered all over her pretty face. "Oh, so I'm your girlfriend now am I? Since when have we even talked about dating hm?" Ghost, unfortunately for her, called her bluff. "Alright then, I suppose we aren't dating after al—" He was once _again_ cut off as she pushed her lips against his and quickly said. "I was only kidding you jerk! Of course I'll be your girlfriend! Now what is it you wanted to do?"

Ash grinned happily. "Oh… I have a few ideas…" 

_Ash's Elite Box…_

July said worriedly. "They've been gone forever! I hope they're okay…"

Zandra looked at her quizzically. "I don't think they've really been gone for that long… have they?" Axel sweatdropped. "It only seems like that to you Zandra because you lost track of time while you watching Abel mop the floor with Cilan…"

It was true. Abel had caught her attention, after all, he _was _the person who had knocked her out in the Alola tournament. It was only natural that she'd want to know what Pokémon he was running. Sure enough, he was using two of his most familiar Pokémon: his Talonflame, which abused Cilan's Pansage with Brave Bird, knocking it out in just two moves. His Stunfisk was also bested by Talonflame, who overcame type-disadvantage with a combo of Will-o-Wisp, Roost, and then another Brave Bird to knock it out. On impact, however, Talonflame had been paralyzed by Static, and Abel swapped to his lethal partner. **(AN: A partner that I will reveal later in the story…) **And although Cilan's Crustle was favored to win, it was no match for Abel's first Pokémon he ever received.

She pouted a little and murmured. "I just want to make sure I don't lose to him again!"

Xavier commented aloud, a little annoyed. "Hey, I understand, but keep it down! I'm trying to focus here!" The other three elites stared amongst one another, not remembering who was battling. Axel looked down and groaned aloud. He moaned. "Xavy… you gotta stop pining after her! Ghost is gonna kill you!"

July frowned as she saw Malva on the battlefield below battling against a no-name trainer. Xavier was staring at her backside as though it would be the last thing he would ever see. She smacked him upside the forehead and grumbled. "I have to agree with Axel, Xavier."

He commented aloud. "The only reason you agree with him because you two have been having sessions late at night." All at once, Axel whipped his head around to stare at Xavier in disbelief. All the color had drained from July's usually perfectly tanned skin. Zandra was staring at the handsome male with an eyebrow raised. "Are you… actually being serious Xavier?"

Without taking his eyes off Malva, he casually gestured to a stunned Axel and a very embarrassed July who squeaked. "I-I-I do n-not!"

"Don't try to deny July, I know you two are getting into it." He waved his hand dismissingly, but she wasn't done. "No! I m-mean, I do not agree with A-Axel because I'm shagging him, I agree with him because he's right!"

Xavier laughed. "Thanks for confirming it." Realizing he had tricked her, she moaned in annoyance before putting her head down in resignation, knowing she had lost the argument by a mile. All of the sudden…

"Hey guys!" All the elites turned to see Ash in the doorway with a huge grin on his face. Axel waved. "Hey captain, how goes it?" He laughed and waved his hand a little. "The same old same old, I heard that conversation you guys just had." All the color drained from Axel's face. "Y-You did?" Ash chuckled. "I'm afraid I did." Axel hung his head before Ash burst out laughing, tears running down his cheeks. Axel spluttered. "W-w-what's s-so funny?"

Ash laughed. "You guys _really _oughta try and be more quiet! I already knew about it!" As if it was possible, Axel got even paler. July's face was so red she actually looked like a tomato that had just been picked; a red body with a green stem (Red Face and Green Hair.) Ash smirked silently, knowing it was time to play his trump card and totally get a chorus of laughs from his fellow elites.

He looked to see if anyone had a drink. It looked like he had struck out when… his eyes lit up in mischievousness; Xavier had a glass of water sitting next to him. It was time to play a little prank on the unsuspecting elites. "Hey Xavier!" He greeted his elite. The male turned away from the battle for what appeared to be the first time in a very long time and said. "Hey Ghost, take a seat and enjoy the battle!" It was perfect timing, Ash noted.

Xavier had just taken an extremely large swig of water, and was now preparing to guzzle it all down as he turned back to the battlefield. He knew it was now or never. Ash said aloud. "Man, it's been an unreal day! I don't know which was the bigger surprise: finding out that Damien is my second round opponent, or officially making May my girlfriend!"

The reactions were priceless. Zandra had shouted at the top of her lungs, "WHAT!?" Both Axel and July's heads had practically turned on a swivel to see if Ash was actually telling the truth. Xavier, however, was a card. He spat out his water all over on the opposite side of the balcony, giving the fans beneath him a small shower of water with a tad bit of saliva. Ash chuckled as May walked happily into the room.

She spoke, introducing herself. "Hi! My name's May Maple! It's great to meet you all!" As May began talking to the star-struck elites, Ash's mind wandered to the battle that lied ahead: his Battle with Damien. He chuckled softly, he almost felt bad for Damien, who wasn't aware of the absolute tidal wave of destruction that was about to completely and utterly sweep him away.

In Ash's mind, there was not a single doubt who would be getting the playing time. And he knew that the Pokémon was _itching_ for another go at Damien. Ash smirked as he looked down at his pokedex to see Damien's cocky and arrogant face on the screen.

'_When I'm through with him, let's see if he's still the same cocky bastard from all those years ago…' _He thought sinisterly. Oh the fun he was going to have in this next round… oh the fun he would have…

**AN: Andddd that's a wrap folks! Another Chapter surpassing 7k words! Yay! This one was a bit of a doozy, but, like last chapter, it should be well liked within both of my fanbases: the Advanceshipper side and the Ash Betrayal Side. Well, I decided that although I wouldn't make Ash reveal himself to anyone just yet, I wanted to finally put Ash and May together around the 90k word mark. And it happened!**

**Now, the next battle will be against Damien. For those who do not know, Damien was a character (to put the term lightly) from the beginning seasons of Pokémon. To be honest I think it was when Ash was in Kanto but in all honesty I may be wrong. But, if you don't know why Damien will be Ash's next opponent, let's just say you'll find out. If you do know why, then you already know what to expect. Hope you guys will enjoy the next chapter, so hang in there!**

**Till Next time guys, please Follow and Favorite! Thanks all, and I'll see you soon!**

**LegionZ**


	12. Old Rivalries Ignited!

**Hey Everyone! Welcome Back to the story, written by your very own LegionZ! I hope you all are enjoying this story, and if you are, please make sure to let me know by reviewing it or PM'ing me! Those who already have done so can confirm that I respond to them within two days! If you like the story, make sure you follow and favorite the story as well to show your support! **

**So let's talk! Last Chapter I felt as though I tossed the whole "May is now Ash's (Or more specifically, Ghost's) boyfriend", and I suspected I would receive some backlash over this. However, I was happily surprised to see that just about every review and PM I received was, in fact, a positive one! You all can't seem to wait to see Damien (Or is it Damian with an A? I don't frankly know. I'll be writing it with an "E" though, sorry in advance if I am wrong) get his ass whooped by Ash. Don't worry, you aren't the only one who's looking forward to this battle, one certain orange Pokémon is practically dying to have a battle with him… **

**I don't think there's much more to hit on in all honesty. I hope you all enjoy the chapter, and I'm aiming to have this one above 9,000 words, though I'll almost certainly fall short. My last two have just surpassed 7k, so I want to make this one a bit longer in honor for the coming battle. That's it my guys! Enjoy, remember to follow and favorite and help this story become the most popular betrayal story on Fanfiction! Thanks all!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 12**

_Last Chapter…_

_Serena murmured. "Yes… I know that the day it happened was over Six years ago, but the ones who caused this death are in this tournament, if you could just help me with something… anything to prove they're guilty in killing the one I loved… that's what I'm asking from you Ghost…"_

_Ash had caught onto her words. "Wait, you loved him?"_

_Serena turned a dark shade of red and mumbled. "… Yes. I did love him… we had shared our first kiss not too long before that incident, he… he must've been so confused when I told him those words… they still haunt me to this day…" Ash, for some reason, wanted to know just how far she was willing to go. "What words did you tell him?"_

_She began to cry softly, and after a moment, she said the same words she told him over half a decade ago. "__All you ever do Ash, is break things. Whether it's your own dreams, people's item's, or other people's hearts, you're nothing to us."_

_Ash knew that it was painfully true by now: Serena was truly on his side. She was not a traitor; she was an ally. But, she would not be the first to see him for who he truly was._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_She turned to leave but was surprised by two men standing there with smirks on their faces. One of them with a giant beard said with a grin. "Well Well… look what we found here…" _

_May took a step back unconsciously and the other said with a vicious smirk on his face. "Looks like it's our lucky day… having such a beautiful young lass all to ourselves… my my… I can't wait to get my hands beneath your pants…" He trailed off with a look in his eyes that May recognized. He was lustful, and she was going to be his prize. _

_She went to grip a pokeball off her waist, but before she could, she felt a body press up against her and saw it was the male with the beard. He grinned evilly. "Sorry Miss, but nobody is coming to help you now." She could do nothing now as the two men were about to take her. May's only hope now was a miracle to happen. She was about to scream when suddenly, she stopped moving altogether. _

_She saw a figure standing in the alley behind them. The two must've noticed her shock, because they both stopped attempting to grope the beauty and turned to see the figure cloaked in darkness. The one with the beard tossed May against a wall and the other yelled. "Who the hell do you think you are, stalking us like that!"_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"Froslass, evade by using Double Team into Phantom Force. Espeon, slip by the Sludge Bomb and use Psychic on Swalot, toss it into Skarmory."

As the two special attacks were about to connect, a flurry of different things happened. Once more, Froslass disappeared, this time, with Phantom Force. It began to use Double Team rapidly and combined it with its ability along with Phantom Force, and it literally looked as though Froslass was flying around _everywhere_ across the alley, totally bamboozling the men. Meanwhile, Espeon hurtled the poison attack and using Psychic, hurled Swalot into an unsuspecting Skarmory.

The men, who saw their Pokémon were surrounded, had to think quick.

"Flash Cannon, hit Froslass!"

"You use Poison Gas in a circle, find it!"

But it was no use. The attacks continued to miss hopelessly as Froslass' evasion increased due to Hail, then again due to Double Team, and _again _because it kept using Phantom Force, making it appear and reappear throughout dimensions. The figure made a chopping motion. "Blizzard."

From all of Froslass' copies, they each fired off a Blizzard all at once, totally freezing the poor Pokémon in the middle, who were very knocked out. The men frantically returned their Pokémon and then began to slowly back away from the man, their worst fears about to be confirmed by their silent attacker. "Espeon, Psychic."

The next thing the two men knew, they were tossed again the wall and being held there forcefully by Psychic. May stared in complete awe as he got very close to the two men and whispered sadistically. "It's people like you that _poison_ this world. You are the scum of the planet, the ones who feed off the innocent. When you are tried and sent to prison, you shall receive no mercy. Know this, because here in Alola, you will not get away with crimes. We shall always find you and, in the end, you will be eradicated. Consider _this…_ a parting gift." He snapped his fingers and Espeon's eyes glowed blue along with Froslass' as well. The men began screaming in pain, and as the Pokémon held their power against the two, the figure helped May to her feet.

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_Ghost, did they give you trouble?"_

_"Quite a bit in fact."_

_As the two talked further, May felt her jaw hit the ground. She couldn't believe it; the figure… the figure…_

… _the person who had saved her was Ghost? As in, the one she had a terrible crush on? She couldn't believe it, he didn't even sound like himself! Why did he sound so… distorted? He almost sounded possessed while giving out his commands, but he had never sounded like that before, so why was there such a difference in his commands if they were both just simple battles? It didn't make sense, in all honesty. It was then that she realized just how much Ghost had given her and done for her, she wanted to make it up to him. But what could she do? She honestly had no clue._

_A rather bold idea came to her and after a moment of much mental debate, she decided to use it. As he finished up his conversation with Jenny, who was now escorting the two whimpering criminals to her police car under the supervision of a few other officers, Ghost turned to May. "Now then, like I was—" He was cut off when May pushed her lips to his. Ghost froze in place as the pretty, no, beautiful girl was kissing him passionately on the lips._

_Ash's whole mind was in absolute shock. Her lips tasted somewhat like strawberries, a taste that he loved so much. They were soft and tender, yet the kiss was firm and oh-so amazing. Ash felt himself slip away at the amazing contact as he tried to figure out what the actual hell was going on at the moment, because his entire mind was working overdrive to figure out what to do after a hot girl kisses you. 'Oh My God! OH MY GOD! She's… she's… she's m-making out with m-me! W-what the hell am I supposed to d-do?' the rational part of his brain piped up. 'Kiss her back you buffoon.'_

_So, that was what he did; he pressed back. He cupped May's bum and pulled her into his strong arms, earning an approving moan from her. She was determined to not break the kiss, however, and pulled his neck down to kiss him even deeper. He held her perfect bum in one hand while putting his other hand on the back of her head, making her deepen the kiss further, earning yet another happy moan of bliss. When they finally did break the kiss, May murmured softly._

_"I've been wanting to do that for a little while…" Ash chuckled softly. "That makes two of us Miss Maple." She giggled and said quietly. "My hero…" _

_Present…_

May was in absolute awe. She looked around and knew how elite of company she was currently with right now. She found herself in Ghost's elite box along with four other people: all of Ghost's Elites themselves. She didn't really know how it had come to this so fast. She was staring at all of them with happy and admiring eyes… so these were the people Ghost hung out with? To be totally honest, she was originally scared to meet these people; after all, they were amongst the most powerful trainers in the entire region and they were all right in front of her for her to see.

She also knew she had to remember that Ghost was even stronger than _all _of his elites. Because of this, she decided to take time to try and talk with each and every one of them and get to know them; with hope, she'd be able to learn a little about their likes and dislikes so that they would warm up to them.

First, she talked with the blonde haired boy of the group. He, much to her surprise, was incredibly friendly. He was extremely kind to her and chatted amicably with her about pretty much anything. She was caught off guard by this, she was legitimately expecting to have him push her away or something of the sort, but as it turned out, nothing like that happened. Instead, he accepted her with open arms and introduced himself as Axel, the electric type elite. His partner was named Zeraora. She chatted with him about Ghost's personality to which he laughed and responded. "He's a one of a kind character, that's for sure. To be fair, he never stops talking about you. I think he's crazy for you if you ask me." May shook her head and laughed, believing him to simply be overexaggerating.

Next, she chatted with a rather attractive green haired female named July, who also made herself known to be no harm to May whatsoever. She found out quickly that July was closer to Axel than she was to Ghost, but was still very close to him. She noted that Axel and July were dating, and they had just begun to do so very recently. She was curious to why Axel was closer to her than Ghost was, and she explained how Ghost had taken them both in as elites, but she knew Axel from years prior as one of her closer friends. May was confused, believing the top 4 of the tournament were supposed to be the region's elites, and the winner would select the final person in as an elite. July shook her head and explained that the champion selected whoever they wanted as long as they entered the tournament and won at minimum two battles. She explained that Ghost wanted to see who everyone was and who would be compatible with one another. And thus, the Alola Elite Four united.

The next one she talked with was an odd one to say the least. He was dressed in a black suit jacket and black pants along with a white dress shirt. His wavy brown hair made him look very attractive, but in a different way than Ghost, who was more of the ruggedly handsome type of cute. This man seemed to have more of a playboy vibe about him. Her thoughts were confirmed when he introduced himself as "Xavier the Player." He had a flirting tone with her, though after some time of teasing and taunting her, July cut in and told her to completely ignore him, and that he always did that. Xavier laughed and admitted. "Yeah and if word ever got out that I was hitting on May Ghost'll have my head on a silver platter." May smirked and teased him back. "Oh? And what if _I _say something then?" Xavier, realizing what he had just done, paled and pleaded. "N-no! I-I was just kidding! I s-swear!" May just giggled and left the conversation at that.

But, the final person of the group had different feelings towards her: anger and hostility. The girls name was Zandra, and she was the water and ice-type specialist. The odd thing about this girl was that even though she was so hostile towards her, May couldn't figure out _why._ She knew she had never met this girl before, and yet she was openly angry to her, as though she had been hurt by May for some reason. She was beginning to get an idea of why this was the case after thinking about the entire thing for some time: she suspected that this girl had a crush on Ghost. She had a nagging suspicion of the situation that was going on. Of course, little did May know of the _actual _reason that this female disliked her presence…

But none of that really mattered. What did matter was that she was here for Ghost, her newfound boyfriend, and the first male she found herself caring for since Ash. She hoped he was in a better spot but something told her that if he knew the truth about that day, he would want he to live her life to the fullest and move on from him.

That was what she intended to do, and she was starting by cheering on Ghost on his next matchup: A Trainer named Damien. She could see by his reactions prior to the match that there was something about this Damien that Ghost despised, but what was it? She supposed she would find out.

And that she would. For, down on the battlefield, Ghost's second round matchup was about to begin. The blue-haired trainer stood on the side opposite to Ash. Meanwhile, our hero was staring at Damien with cold eyes. The referee raised his flag high in the air. "This battle is between Ghost, Champion of Alola against Damien Dark of Vermillion City! The battle features three Pokémon on each side, and the battle will be over when all three Pokémon on one side are unable to continue. Furthermore, no exchanges of Pokémon will be allowed in between battles until one Pokémon faints!"

'_I have to hope that he's changed, and that his days of abandoning Pokémon and harming them are over… but, once an asshole…' _He thought to himself.

Damien laughed arrogantly and said. "This is going to be a walk in the park!"

_'…Always an Asshole.' _He finished his train of thought.

It was then that Ash decided to ramp up Damien's confidence to the point of no return. It was a fool proof plan that Ash couldn't see failing unless a very situational battle occurred. It was time execute the plan he had spent time preparing out carefully. He called across the battlefield, loud enough for many people to hear him.

"Damien!"

Damien called back. "Ghost!"

Ash frowned a little but kept up his play. "I know you think you're strong—" Damien cut him off and said angrily. "You saying I'm not? I'll make you eat those words, Ghost!" Damien expected the champion to back off like most people would, but was more than just a little surprised when Ghost smirked and said. "Yes, I am saying you're not strong. In fact, I'm saying this won't be difficult in the slightest."

Damien scoffed. "Oh yeah? Prove it then!"

Once more, Damien expected Ghost to back down and cower at his dare. Once more, he was surprised by Ghost's confidence. "I will. You see this?" Damien looked as Ghost motioned to his Pokémon belt, which was oddly… empty. Damien was legitimately confused. "Um… no?" Ghost nodded. "Exactly."

He lowered his hand from his belt and said calmly. "…Exactly."

The stadium had gotten quiet in the heat of the moment and every eye in the ABS was watching Ghost with wide eyes; what was Ghost playing at? Damien, naturally, was the one who broke the silence with his loud and rather annoying laugh. "So what? You're surrendering? I can't blame you!"

Ash actually began laughing at this. Everyone watched him with curious eyes as he recovered from his laughing fit. He chuckled as he began speaking. "No No… you misunderstand me. I am not surrendering, but, I am proving a point today that _you _are a disgrace as a trainer." Damien scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Ash smirked. "I was referring to your track record of abusing Pokémon, that's all." The stadium had begun whispering to one another, and May couldn't help but whisper in shock. "He… he abuses Pokémon? How does Ghost know about it though?"

Zandra spoke to her, possibly for the first time without the hostile tone in her voice. "Ghost knows everything that goes on in Alola. If anyone is doing anything they shouldn't be, chances are, he knows about it. He's always busy with taking down local gangs like Team Skull and yet still finds time for the people of his region. He's the best there ever was." May was silent for another moment, thinking about the pink-haired girl's statement. Perhaps… she wasn't fond of Ghost? The sentence she had just uttered didn't sound like she was interested in him, rather, she just admired him. She shook her head when she saw Damien finally stutter something out.

Ash had taken great pleasure in watching Damien sweat worriedly. After a moment or so, the man finally had a response, one that appeared to have shattered tone. "O-Oh yeah? W-where's the proof of t-that?"

Ash actually laughed again and almost pityingly said. "Really Damien? Really? I'm the _Champion _of a region. I'm standing here _accusing you _of abusing your Pokémon… You think I would do that without evidence?"

Damien paled. This was not looking good for him. How Ghost knew this was beyond him, but something was odd. If Ghost knew this, why did he not simply arrest him prior to the battle and get an automatic victory? There was nothing he couldn't do. So why was Ghost seemingly set on battling him?

"I can sense your confusion." Ash said loudly. Damien was snapped out of his stupor and turned to face the champion, confusion indeed coloring his eyes. Ghost explained. "I knew with someone like you, when I would go to arrest you, you'd simply say the reason I had you arrested at that specific moment was because I knew I couldn't beat you in battle and had to resort to using my resources in order to win, or something of the sort."

Damien muttered. "Damn right you can't beat me." He then stopped as he realized he had just proven Ghost's point, much to his embarrassment. Ghost chuckled and said. "I have a proposition for you, Mr. Dark. And of course, I'm certain it's one you're willing to accept." Ash pulled out one lone pokeball. "This right here… is my only Pokémon that I currently have with me. This right here, is the only Pokémon you can face today. I have a deal to offer you."

Damien said with a raised eyebrow. "Okay…"

Ash smirked. "You have two choices today Damien. Your first choice is to be immediately arrested by police for injuring, harming, and abusing Pokémon on multiple accounts. You will be tried and most certainly found guilty, and most like go to jail for a good portion of the rest of your life. Your Pokémon will no longer be held captive by you, and you will have you trainer license forever revoked." Damien paled further and said quietly. "And option number two would be…"

Ash's smirk grew wider. This was a deal he knew Damien couldn't resist. "You can use your full three Pokémon against me, and I only have one. If you can defeat my single Pokémon with three of yours, yes, _three_… I will drop all charges against you for as long as you remain here in Alola. The other champions have no legal jurisdiction in this region, so you would be safe. If you lose, however, you must be willing to comply to anything we say while in questioning, even if that means using a psychic Pokémon to see your past memories. This way, we'll be able to see exactly what you did."

Damien had fallen silent. Ash said after a moment. "Do we have a deal?" Following a ten second pause, Damien laughed arrogantly and said gleefully. "I accept! This is gonna be too easy!"

'_Right you are Damien… right you are.'_

May watched Ghost with wide and disbelieving eyes. She watched in awe as Ghost turned to the referee and began speaking to him, presumably to tell him about the new rules that he had just made for his battle only. The referee looked like he wanted to know more so they began a conversation right there on the battlefield. May couldn't hold in her nervousness anymore and stuttered aloud nervously. "H-he isn't serious about this is h-he?"

However, judging by the looks on the elites faces, Ghost was deadly serious. He was legit going to take on this man on a three on one battle! What on earth was Ghost thinking?! She carefully said. "W-why is Ghost so adamant on taking on this guy with just one Pokémon? Is he t-that confident he'll win?"

Xavier chuckled and shook his head. "It's not that he's confident he'll win, it's about proving a special point to Damien, even if he doesn't realize it." May blinked. "What exactly is this point?" Xavier's grin didn't leave his face. "That's for me to know and for you not to find out… yet." He added with a smirk. May couldn't help but wonder what exactly he meant by that…

Back on the battlefield, meanwhile, and Damien tossed up his first Pokémon: a tealish Pokémon with four long, metal arms/legs and a large gray "X" covering its face smashed down onto the field. It roared loudly. Ash had a small grin on his face as he gently widened the size of the lone pokeball that he had with him. He tossed it up in the air and said calmly. "I need your assistance!" There on the battlefield, the Pokémon materialized and let out a mighty roar that shook the hearts of everyone there. Damien's eyes widened in surprise at the titanic Pokémon, one that he knew all too well.

It was an orange Pokémon that looked like a massive dragon. The tip of its tail was on fire. Ash grinned at one of his oldest friends and partners. Charizard let out another mighty roar and Charizard then saw who he was facing and let out a large puff of smoke from his nose and grinned carnally. He then sent another smirk back to Ash who nodded twice, almost giving his approval of the situation, saying. _'Thank you for letting me do this.' _Ash silently looked back, as if saying. _'Don't thank me until after we've wiped the floor with this guy.' _

The referee had waited long enough. "This is now a confirmed Three on One Battle! Damien will have the honor of having three Pokémon at his disposal while the Champion, Ghost shall only have one. This opening fight is between Damien's Metagross and Ghost's Charizard. Furthermore, should Ghost's Charizard faint at any time, Damien moves onto the next round. Ready… Battle Begin!"

Damien didn't appear to have any second thoughts. "Metagross, Get in Close with Gyro Ball!" Metagross tucked its arms in and began to spin rapidly towards Charizard, who didn't seem at all fazed by this attack that was spiraling towards it. Ash yawned a little, knowing that even with its ridiculous type disadvantage, most people were bound to think Charizard would sustain major damage. Ash, however, knew otherwise. "Just Take the Shot. Shouldn't be too much of a problem."

To Damien's utter horror, Charizard indeed took the shot without even suffering a scratch. Metagross continued to spin into Charizard, but after a moment, it stopped spinning and Charizard latched onto it with both its arms. Damien growled. "Break Free with Meteor Mash!" Ash waved his arm downward. "Smash it with Dragon Tail before that happens." Thanks to Charizard being ridiculously quicker than Metagross, the fire-flying type swung its tail at the steel type and it sailed backwards. Then, to Damien's shock, Metagross flew back into its pokeball and another one took the field.

It materialized into an electric-type native to Unova. It almost looked like a titanic Eel. Ash had a massive grin on his face now, this was looking good. The referee announced. "Because the Pokémon was substituted out legally, this battle will commence. It is now Elektross against Charizard, Battle Commence!"

As they began exchanging moves, Zandra commented aloud. "It's only a matter of time before Ghost uses Dragon Tail again; making sure Charizard knew Dragon Tail was brilliant on his part; now he can apply constant pressure to Damien's Pokémon and see his team that he's going against at the same time." Xavier nodded. "I agree, it's a good way to keep Damien off-balance and a good way to keep Ghost a step ahead. He can prepare for any moves Damien will unleash now because of Dragon Tail."

Axel suddenly said. "Actually, I don't think Ash will use Dragon Tail here." The group of five (counting May) turned to look at him. July was legitimately confused. "But why do you say that? Elektross is an Electric type, Ghost knows this. Why would he legitimately put Charizard at a disadvantage like that?"

Axel paused for a moment before speaking. "Would you rather face a Pokémon that has a massive type-advantage over you when you were at full health or at half health?" The group remained silent for a second or two before Axel answered for them. "You'd rather fight at maximum health in order to get the most out of every move, and use the most energy on those who have advantages over you."

May murmured aloud. "So you're saying he's keeping Charizard in right now because he wants to finish off Damien's heavy hitters before his weaker Pokémon can lower Charizard's health?"

Axel nodded. "That's my prediction. Let's see if I'm correct."

Damien yelled out. "Elektross, double thunder punch! Down that Lizard!" The Electric-type obeyed it's trainer's command and leapt into the air, both fists crackling with electricity. Ash was no fool; he knew that Charizard would sustain damage from it. He ordered. "Avoid it!" Charizard took to the skies and managed to gain enough height in order to avoid Elektross. It fell back down to the ground, but Damien had an idea. "Thunderbolt! Now it can't dodge!" Ash frowned; Damien had a point there. If he ordered Charizard to avoid the move, it could mean trouble. It was time to execute his plan.

"Charizard, use Steel Wing! Dive in to avoid the move!" With tremendous speed and a mighty roar, Charizard soared towards the ground with its wings glowing brightly, and it narrowly avoided the jagged bolt of electricity. It sailed towards the electric type at a blinding speed. Ash ordered. "Now! Create a large circle around Elektross!" Using Steel Wing, Charizard formed a large circle around Elektross by cutting through the earth. Damien raised his eyebrow in bewilderment; the move literally did nothing. He chuckled arrogantly once more and yelled. "Leap up and use Thunder Punch! Aim for its wings!" The electric type obeyed the move call, but that would prove to be a lethal mistake.

Ash knew this was coming.

He snapped his fingers. "Now. Grab it!" To the entire stadium's shock, Charizard flew under the fists of the eel and snagged it by its waist, all while dangling in the air. Damien roared. "Hit it with Thunderbolt!" Ash motioned his arm downwards and yelled. "Seismic Toss! Hurl it back into the circle!" Before Elektross could unleash the electricity, Charizard tossed down Elektross with all it's might, smashing it back into the circle on the battlefield below.

Damien growled in his throat. So far, things were not looking good. He had heard stories of the Ghost, but this was on a whole different level! It was like Ghost could predict the moves before they were even called! He had to turn this around quickly, or else the only one he had with a direct type advantage would be gone. He thought up a strategy on the fly and decided to roll with it. He ordered. "Elektross, use—" He was cut off when suddenly, the battlefield exploded. Damien covered his eyes as the muck and debris flew into the air.

When he uncovered them, he gasped in shock and horror. The circle that Charizard had created had sunk into the earth beneath the battlefield, effectively trapping Elektross from doing anything whatsoever. Damien cursed, and Ash wouldn't let him think of a tactic to get out now. "Flamethrower around the outside of the circle, make sure it's not getting out!"

Charizard nodded and unleashed a titanic torrent of flames from its mouth. It circled the entire border of the circle and effectively prevented any sort of escape for Elektross. Ash decided it would be best to finish off the electric type now, and save his energy for the battle's ahead. Ash commanded. "Flamethrower. Finish it off." Flying directly above the circle, Charizard fired off another wave of flames downward. Damien could only watch in horror as one of his Pokémon was roasted.

After a moment, the attack stopped as well. The referee peered down into the crater in the earth and raised his flag. "Elektross is unable to battle, Charizard wins!" The stadium erupted into roars and cheers. _'One down, two to go.' _Ash tallied.

May squealed. "What an amazing strategy! I've never seen flamethrower used like that before! Are all of his Pokémon like this! He needs to teach me some of these moves because they're simply amazing! Oh my gosh—" She was cut off from her rather obnoxious rant by Zandra, who was looking at her pointedly. She blushed crimson and murmured an apology before retaking her seat.

Xavier answered for her. "Yes, to answer your question. Ghost rarely goes into a fight with a solid plan in place."

Axel added. "It's just who he is."

May found herself having a newfound respect for the Alola Champion and prepared to watch the next fight. Damien was looking at something in his hand with a large scowl on his face. There was no mistaking his anger, and May wondered why he had so much hate towards Ghost; what had he done?

Of course, May didn't know the real reason to May's angered look: it was simply because he wasn't angry at Ghost: He was angry at his Pokémon for not being able to _beat _Ghost. He was yelling at Elektross for not being able to hit the side of a barn, and Ash's anger continued to grow, as did Charizard's. It appeared as though Damien's stuck-up and dickish personality hadn't changed in the slightest since he had seen him, which was a _long _time ago.

'_Some things never change.' _ Ash thought silently.

Damien took out his next pokeball and yelled. "Don't fail me, or _else_!" Ash immediately recognized the Pokémon, as did nearly everyone in the stadium; it was a Venasaur, the final evolution of Bulbasaur and a Grass-Poison type. Ash knew he had to make a plan, and it revolved around taking out Venasaur quickly. He'd leave Metagross for last.

Well, that was until he heard Damien's next statement. "This here is my starter Pokémon! Unlike the rest of my loser Pokémon that I used to have, it's actually strong!" Ash had a smirk appear over his face and knew how much fun this was going to be putting Damien in the dirt. The referee announced loudly. "The battle is now between Damien's Venasaur He waved his hand and yelled. "Charizard, let's begin! Use Steel Wing!"

As Charizard charged in, wings glowing white, Damien ordered. "I don't think so! I'm not letting you use that tactic again! Use Poison Powder, and circle it around you to make a barricade!" Ash cursed, that was exactly what he _didn't _want. It was time to turn the tables a little bit with something that he had been working up. Most people didn't even think this tactic would work because it was too obvious. Ash was about to show why having a fly-type was so helpful.

"Blow away the poison powder and immediately follow it up with Dragon Tail!" Charizard flapped it's large wings once and all of the sudden, the Poison Powder was sailing back towards a rather surprised Venasaur and rushed towards it, tail glowing brightly. Damien cried out. "W-what? Venasuar, u-use—" Too late. Charizard smothered the grass-type and it yelled out in pain. Then, the familiar flash of a Pokémon returning to its pokeball and another one flashing brightly as it took the field.

Metagross looked as though it hadn't sustained any damage at all, though. Ash wasn't frankly surprised. As strong as Charizard was, Dragon Tail not only did little damage to Steel Types, but Metagross was ridiculously strong with its defense stat. He also knew it's special defense wasn't shabby either, so this was going to be no easy feat to knock it out. That's why knocking off Venasaur last would prove to be most beneficial.

Damien wasn't that fazed, however. "Metagross, time to use a tactic nobody else can use! While using Gyro Ball, spin and use Flash Cannon!" Ash made a silent tally of Metagross' move set, now knowing three of his four moves, and all of them being steel type moves. Ash was, however, impressed by the spinning Flash Cannon/ Gyro Ball combination. At the same time, Ash knew how to counter it.

"Get in close to it, avoid that Flash Cannon!" Charizard soared around the beam and before Damien knew it, Charizard was lurking behind the Steel Type, who was totally unaware of Charizard's location. "Behind you!"

Ash ordered. "Latch onto it's back!" As Ash did this, though, Xavier realized Ash likely forgot about something. Damien saw his chance. "Now, quickly spin it off and use Flash Cannon!" Even Charizard couldn't do anything as Gyro Ball was once more activated. Charizard was hurled off and Metagross lit up the fire-flying type with a steel beam. May's eyes widened a little as there was a direct connection.

Damien yelled. "Meteor Mash into a Gyro Ball!" Ash ordered swiftly. "Roll in midair to avoid that Attack!" Charizard's eyes opened at his trainer's voice and as it was falling, it rolled elusively to avoid the lethal steel type attacks.

Meanwhile, up in his elite box, Zandra was very confused. She spoke aloud. "Ghost has something has something up his sleeve for this battle." Xavier looked at the pink-haired beauty. "What do you mean? I honestly don't see anything out of the ordinary. Damien countered Ghost's tactic of latching onto it by using Gyro Ball. Honestly, that was a great move by Damien, as much as I don't like him, I have to give him props."

Axel also pointed out. "He's not battling any different, at least, not that I can see. What are you hinting towards Zan?"

She was quiet for a moment before tossing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I really don't know! But Ghost would have a tactic for what Damien just did, so he must be playing for something, I just can't figure out what it is!"

July said as though it was obvious. "Um… maybe he just had a slip-up? Nobody's perfect after all…" Zandra shook her head. "No. It's something… I just can't figure out what it is." May was thinking rapidly, but like Zandra, her mind was coming up empty. _'Ghost… what are you up to this time…' _Her mind wandered.

Back on the battlefield, Damien saw that Charizard appeared okay for the most part and wasn't feeling the Flash Cannon at all. He yelled. "Hit it again with Flash Cannon!"

Ash called out. "Cancel it out with Flamethrower!" The two attacks clashed and after a moment, Flamethrower overpowered it. Damien yelled. "I don't think so! Avoid it with Gyro Ball!" Metagross used the move to slide by and then proceeded to spin towards Charizard, who actually looked a bit surprised by the steel-type's mobility. It then got hit by the move, causing Damien to yell. "Hell yes! Now, Meteor Mash! Nail it!" Metagross sailed towards Charizard, and Ash finally decided to act. "Grab it's arm and hurl it downwards with Seismic Toss." Sure enough, Metagross couldn't get the hit off and Charizard tossed it to the ground.

Ash smirked, knowing what was going to happen. "Flamethrower, roast it."

Damien laughed. "You'd think you would've learned Ghost! Gyro Ball!"

Damien's laugh caught in his throat when suddenly, Metagross flinched and didn't move at all. The entire stadium noticed this and gasped. The fire-type move then proceeded to scorch it alive before everyone's eyes. Damien couldn't believe what had happened, why had Metagross failed to move out of the way?

When the attack stopped, everyone in the stadium other than Ghost himself was stunned to see Metagross still standing. Ash knew Metagross' special defense stats were dominant, so he wasn't expecting it to be downed in just one shot. Damien growled a little and yelled out. "Metagross, use Meteor Mash!"

This time, to Damien's surprise, Metagross moved without any trouble at all. Why hadn't it moved before then? He looked at Ghost and hadn't seen any reaction from him, so at least, any reaction that he had seen before he looked at him. Ghost seemed oddly calm, as though everything was going exactly as he had planned. Damien knew both of his Pokémon featured generous type advantages for his opponent, but that didn't matter in his eyes. He knew he could still clobber Ghost easily with a 3 on 1 advantage.

"Evade it!"

Charizard ducked around the move and Damien cried out, seeing a gap. "Quick! Gyro Ball!" But once more, to his horror, Metagross only flinched and didn't move. Ash roared. "Finish it! Flamethrower one more time! Burn it to a crisp!" Charizard let out a mighty roar and unleashed a massive torrent of flames at the steel type, who was swept away by the fire. Damien roared out. "NO!"

Metagross was sent flying into the ground in a cloud of dust and smoke. It was very obvious that after two super-effective moves, the steel type wasn't getting up. It was down for the count, with swirls in its eyes. The referee didn't hesitate to make the call and raised the flag to the air. "Metagross is unable to battle, the winner is Charizard!" The crowd exploded into cheers as Ghost continued to wipe the floor with his competition. Charizard let out a mighty roar of dominance at the praise he was receiving.

As Damien silently returned his Pokémon, he was left to ponder what the heck had just happened. Why was Metagross not using Gyro Ball? It hadn't even been a one-time thing; he had frozen up twice! Why was he unable to use the move?"

"I can see you're confused." A voice called out to hit. He turned to stare at the champion who looked thoroughly amused by his befuddled state. Ghost explained. "I found out that after a few moves your entire strategy revolved around Gyro Ball. I decided that once I made you use all the PP for Gyro Ball; your entire tactic would crumble. I was right. Gyro Ball is a move that can only be used five times per battle. You poorly spent those five times, and then once you did, you had no hope to win. You really don't know what you're doing, do you?"

Damien's face contorted into one of pure rage. How dare this man mock his abilities as a trainer!? He would make this trainer _PAY!_ He tossed his third Pokémon in the air and Venasaur once more took the field. Damien roared. "Venasaur, this is it! We're crushing this little squirt and moving on!"

He yelled the Ghost. "You hear that pipsqueak? By the time my Venasuar is done with that Charizard, it'll be so disfigured you won't even be able to recognize it!" Ash wasn't sure why, but something inside him snapped at this sentence. As Damien waited for any sort of reaction at all to fuel his battle spirit against the Alola Champion, Ghost's face slowly turned into a carnal smirk. Damien felt chills run down his spine and he saw Ghost's face; it was one that would haunt his dreams for days. It was only then that Ash decided it was time to show this immature idiot just what he was going against.

Ash slowly raised his fist to the sky and all of the sudden, there were two blinding flashes that filled the stadium. The spectators were yelling out in surprise and covering their eyes in response to Ghost's action. May yelled over the commotion.

"Wha-what… what's that light! It's nearly blinding me!"

Xavier answered back loudly. "Just wait till the light dies down and you'll what it is." May didn't respond, because as soon as he had finished talking, the light died down slowly, and May gasped aloud in shock. The entire stadium had gone silent with looks of disbelieving shock on their faces. Damien's mouth was slightly ajar. Ash couldn't help but smirk at their awestruck reactions.

On the field, Charizard had changed drastically. While it's color had stayed the same, it's wings had changed to being more rough and sharp around the edges. It had almost armor-looking objects around its arms and had gained an additional horn on its head. That were the more notable parts about it that had changed, but one thing that hadn't was its roar.

It bellowed. "CHAARRRRRRRRRROOOORRRR!" The stadium shook by its ferocity and Damien knew very well that this battle was more than just a little bit of a longshot for him to take this battle. All of the sudden, however, Damien had to shield his eyes from the sun that had randomly appeared in the sky. He was beyond confused; how could this be? Ghost had yet to call out a move, so how was there a sunny day right now?

Once more, sensing Damien's growing confusion, Ghost called out. "Mega Charizard Y's special ability is Drought; it improves his Fire-Type moves quite a bit."

As Damien was desperately churning through his mind for an available safety valve to get out of this battle with a win, the referee called out loudly. "This is the final battle; Venasaur against Mega Charizard Y! Whichever Pokémon is the last one standing will be the winner and their trainer will be moving onto the next round! Battle Begin!"

Ash decided to call out the first move. 

"Begin with Steel Wing."

As Charizard sailed towards it, Damien yelled out. "Quick! Nail it with Razor Leaf!"

Ash shook his head; Damien had lost his mind now. He wasn't even thinking clearly at this point, so it wasn't even a fair fight. Even without Charizard Mega Evolved, Grass Type Moves were essentially worthless against Charizard, a fire-flying type. Charizard didn't even need to be told what to do; it barreled straight through the attack and smashed into Venasaur, who was sent flying backwards.

Zandra, who watched the battle continue to rage on, said aloud. "This battle is very much done. Damien is guaranteed eliminated. He's battling just for the sake of battling now, he's not even thinking about his attacks. If Ghost is smart, he'll quickly finish this and end any slim chance he had left."

Xavier merely nodded while July and Axel calmly held hands, enjoying the battle between their leader and a known scumbag. May just watched with curious eyes as her boyfriend continued to level his competition.

Sure enough, the battle wouldn't last much longer. Ash still decided to play it out as best as possible. He ordered. "Rock Slide, barricade it in!" As the rocks fell around Venasaur in a blind fury, Damien yelled out. "Use Solar Beam! Drought will help us out!"

In what was possibly Damien's first good move choice, Venasaur instantly charged Solar Beam and unleashed it at the blockade of boulders. But, the issue was, with the Solar Beam connecting with the rocks created a massive explosion that temporarily blinded Damien and Venasaur. When he came to, Damien yelled out. "Find Charizard quick!"

"Flamethrower. End this." Ash said in a bored tone. Damien's eyes darted upwards and he paled profusely when he saw Charizard directly above his final Pokémon, his final chance at Victory. He yelled desperately and forcefully. "Evade NOW!" There was no chance whatsoever, however, and Venasaur was engulfed by the flames. When the massive blast of fire stopped, the entire crowd exploded into roars and cheers. Ash silently smirked, knowing his plan had worked to pure perfection, and Damien fell to his knees in shock.

"Venasaur is unable to battle, the winner is Mega Charizard Y! Therefore, the winner of this round in the Zekrom Bracket and the one moving on to the next round is none other than Ghost, the Champion of Alola!" The referee announced loudly over the eruption of the crowd. There was no denying it now; Ghost was the man to beat in this tournament. His Charizard had barely sustained any damage whatsoever and had totally wiped the floor with all of Damien's.

Damien was still in absolute disbelief. He had lost. Not only had he lost, but he had lost _badly._ He silently cursed Ghost and listened to the crowd as they roared his name over and over. He watched as Ghost slowly walked to the middle of his side of the field, wondering what he was about to do.

Ash was walked out to meet Charizard, who had a large smile on his face and seemed extremely proud of his handiwork. Ash patted Charizard on the nose and said while smiling. "I promised you that you'd have your chance… didn't I?" Charizard grunted in approval before it fazed back into normal Charizard. Then, Ash got onto one knee and Charizard did the same. He was quiet for a moment, pondering his thoughts silently before he said softly.

"For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Charizard murmured in agreement and then they both stood up. Then, as he did, officers stormed onto the field, and Ash knew exactly why they were there: to arrest one Damien Dark. He smirked and followed Damien, who was struggling against the officer's wills. He smirked and followed them to a private corridor where Ash knew they were awaiting backup to take Damien in for questioning.

As two officers, including Officer Jenny, were handcuffing Damien to a nearby pole, Ghost spoke to Jenny with a formal tone. "Forgive me if I may Officer, I'd like a private word with Mr. Dark before he is taken away, if that's okay?" Jenny nodded and saluted. "Of course Ghost! Take your time, let me know when you're wrapped up and I'll take him away." Ash nodded and approached Damien, who was looking away from Ghost and anywhere but where Ghost was. Charizard was on Ash's right, and Espeon was on Ash's left. _'Xavier does have one bit of an arm doesn't he… It's a miracle that he was able to get Espeon's pokeball all the way down in one piece…'_

Ash murmured quietly to Espeon. "You know the drill, just wait for my que."

He then spoke to Damien. "You know our deal, don't you Mr. Dark? You now must cooperate fully and yet you shall still receive the harshest sentence for your crimes against the world." Damien didn't say anything for a moment before he finally managed to get out some words. "… Are all you champions such assholes? Because that's the vibe I'm getting…"

Most champion's would immediately retaliate, but Ash had another way to do so. Damien, personally, had been hoping Ghost would punch him, which would give him a way out of Prison by claiming Ghost had assaulted him. But, to his shock and slight horror, Ghost only chuckled at the blue-haired man in front of him. He still refused to meet his eyes.

It was then that Ghost put two fingers under Damien's chin and forced him to look straight in his eyes. Damien fearfully resisted in response. Then, Ash pulled off his most sinister move; he smirked at Damien, and waited for the reaction to come through. After five seconds or so, Damien finally met his eyes, and his breath hitched in horror as he was flooded with memories. It was a flashback to when he had left that stupid Charmander on the rock.

Damien couldn't suppress his grin, that thing was so worthless and pathetic. To this day, he had never been given a reason to regret that decision and wasn't about to start now. Well, that was until he saw time speed up, with the trainer known as Ash Ketchum training it into a Charizard. He then got a full time lapse of its progress of skill and strength throughout the years, and he was paling more and more as he saw it down opponent after opponent for Ash. The question was, why was Ghost showing him this? Better yet, _how _was he showing him this?

Then, the lapse stopped on one frame. It was Charizard, standing and looking straight at him with one eye covered by the shade of the picture and looking quite angry, yet smug at the same time. What he truly paled by, though, was when the frame slowly shifted to the side, and a man in a red vest and a masked face was standing there behind Charizard. Damien's eyes widened as he recognized the man.

Ghost.

He then realized in absolute horror what he had done; He had made the mistake of the stupid Charizard living so that in the end, Karma would bite him in the ass and that very same Charmander would be the one who eliminated him in the biggest tournament ever. He couldn't keep the horror out of his voice. "Its… I-it's not possible…"

Ghost smirked and said quietly. "Better start believing it then… but here's something to always remind you of that day." It was Charziard's turn. He slowly approached Damien, each step making an extremely loud '_THUD' _noise every time he walked. Damien's eyes were frozen on Charizard, his entire body language showing just how terrified he was. Charizard stared at his old trainer with no sympathy whatsoever.

Then, Charizard smirked sinisterly at Damien, and Espeon's eyes glowed blue. Damien began screaming as Espeon flooded his mind with multiple pictures and vivid images that would eventually drive Damien into pure insanity. Ash grabbed Damien by the collar and whispered evilly. "A little dose of pain that you can have for all of the suffering you caused others… never forget us, Damien. Those memories will haunt you every day until you decide to become a loyal, honest, trustworthy, and hard-working trainer. When that happens, you will stop screaming. Until then, enjoy hell: it's where you'll find yourself for quite some time." He then punched Damien in the face once: a gorgeous right hook that knocked him out completely.

Ash smirked and walked away while saying loudly. "He's all yours." Then, with his hands in his pockets, he walked away, the smirk still plastered on his face. Round three awaited him, and with hope, it would be another person he knew, and yet, a person he didn't hate. A soft smile appeared on his face.

As he rounded the corner and prepared to head to the box, he felt the presence of another enter somewhere nearby. He whirled around to his left and was surprised to see a familiar face looking at him with something in his eyes… what was it? Reluctance? He couldn't place his finger on it, but what he did know was that if this person was talking to him, something was up.

"What is it Abel?"

He was in his usual attire: A pair of slightly shaggy camo pants and a blue shirt that featured a variety of lightning bolts all over it. He was also sporting a yellow hat with a pokeball on the front of it and additionally, Ash didn't miss the Mega Necklace he was wearing either.

Abel bit his lip; his dark blue eyes being slightly shielded for a moment before he spoke. "I wanted to apologize to you, Ghost."

Ash raised an eyebrow. "For?"

He spoke again quietly. "I think we got off on the wrong foot." He held his hand out curiously and Ash shook it. "My Name is Abel Winchine, and I hail from Hoenn." He suddenly laughed and awkwardly chuckled for a moment. "This sounded a lot better in my head than it does now." Ash shook his head. "I'm still confused; why exactly are you even talking to me?" Abel's eyes widened again and he said quickly. "O-of course! I-I'm sorry!"

He then turned slightly grim, his 16-year old face slightly wincing as he awaited Ghost's response to the following statement.

"I need your help."

**AN: I KNOW! THE CHAPTER FINALLY GOT POSTED! HOORAY! I wanted to apologize for the extremely long wait: I'll tally up what happened since last post:**

**I fully moved into my apartment**

**I got sick (twice)**

**I had my first row of classes across campus**

**I started up work once again for about 4 shifts a week**

**So in short, I've been extremely busy within these past few days and I'm disappointed in myself that I was unable to update the story on time, but to make up for it, I made a larger chapter that has a Damien and Ash battle that, to my knowledge, is over 7,000 words! Yeahhhh that's what I'm talking about! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Also, a HUGE thanks to all of you who are keeping up with the story! Why?**

**As of right now, The Chosen One's Wrath has ****230**** Favorites and ****290**** Followers! That is simply **_**insane! **_**With this post, we have a shot at surpassing 250 Favorites and have a good shot and taking down 300 followers! If you're new, please make sure you do both and show your support!**

**A reminder: I do not own the Original Character Abel Winchine, the rights belong to Fanfiction Resident Temporal King, in which he asked if I could use him in this story. Again, this story is **_**not **_**centered around OC's; I just have a lot to spice up the story. **

**That's all I have everyone! If you want, feel free to message me through PM or review and I'll get back to you as soon as I can! I don't really know when the next post will be prepared; all I can say is that I always **_**try **_**to have it good to go a week after the previous post, but as of recently, I have not been successful in that goal. Here's hoping I can hit it this time around.**

**Thanks for the support everyone! Much appreciated, and until next time, much love!**

**LegionZ**


	13. Too Many Surprises

**Hey Guys! Welcome back to the story! This is chapter 13, and I really do hope you will enjoy it! If you're new, please make sure you follow and favorite the story to show your support! Speaking of, I believe by the time this is posted we'll finally be over 300 followers! Woohoooo! Thanks so much for your support for the story everyone, it means so much to me!**

**As stunning as this is, that isn't even the end of the news! By the end of this chapter as well, we will have hit 100,000 words in this story! Can you all believe it!? We've made it so far and there's still so much to go! Here's to another 100k after this and many more to come! So with that out of the way, we can now talk about the upcoming chapters and things to come.**

**I expect this chapter to revolve around the traitors because it's high-time I took a chapter or two to center on them. I got a few messages saying, "Wow ANOTHER cliffhanger?" and "Why do you always put cliffhangers" and various stuff like that. I assure you; all these cliffhangers are very much on purpose. After all, it keeps ya'll coming back to reading right? That's my theory at least; it keeps everyone guessing and it keeps everyone entertained as well. Speaking of getting entertained, I'm fairly certain I've waited long enough from typing the actual chapter: let's begin!**

**Hope everyone likes it, see you at the end of the chapter!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 13**

_Last Chapter…_

_Sure enough, the battle wouldn't last much longer. Ash still decided to play it out as best as possible. He ordered. "Rock Slide, barricade it in!" As the rocks fell around Venasaur in a blind fury, Damien yelled out. "Use Solar Beam! Drought will help us out!"_

_In what was possibly Damien's first good move choice, Venasaur instantly charged Solar Beam and unleashed it at the blockade of boulders. But, the issue was, with the Solar Beam connecting with the rocks created a massive explosion that temporarily blinded Damien and Venasaur. When he came to, Damien yelled out. "Find Charizard quick!"_

_"Flamethrower. End this." Ash said in a bored tone. Damien's eyes darted upwards and he paled profusely when he saw Charizard directly above his final Pokémon, his final chance at Victory. He yelled desperately and forcefully. "Evade NOW!" There was no chance whatsoever, however, and Venasaur was engulfed by the flames. When the massive blast of fire stopped, the entire crowd exploded into roars and cheers. Ash silently smirked, knowing his plan had worked to pure perfection, and Damien fell to his knees in shock._

"_Venasaur is unable to battle, the winner is Mega Charizard Y! Therefore, the winner of this round in the Zekrom Bracket and the one moving on to the next round is none other than Ghost, the Champion of Alola!" The referee announced loudly over the eruption of the crowd. There was no denying it now; Ghost was the man to beat in this tournament. His Charizard had barely sustained any damage whatsoever and had totally wiped the floor with all of Damien's._

_Damien was still in absolute disbelief. He had lost. Not only had he lost, but he had lost badly. He silently cursed Ghost and listened to the crowd as they roared his name over and over. He watched as Ghost slowly walked to the middle of his side of the field, wondering what he was about to do._

_Ash was walked out to meet Charizard, who had a large smile on his face and seemed extremely proud of his handiwork. Ash patted Charizard on the nose and said while smiling. "I promised you that you'd have your chance… didn't I?" Charizard grunted in approval before it fazed back into normal Charizard. Then, Ash got onto one knee and Charizard did the same. He was quiet for a moment, pondering his thoughts silently before he said softly._

"_For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."_

_XXXXXXXXXXX  
_

_Ash smirked and walked away while saying loudly. "He's all yours." Then, with his hands in his pockets, he walked away, the smirk still plastered on his face. Round three awaited him, and with hope, it would be another person he knew, and yet, a person he didn't hate. A soft smile appeared on his face._

_As he rounded the corner and prepared to head to the box, he felt the presence of another enter somewhere nearby. He whirled around to his left and was surprised to see a familiar face looking at him with something in his eyes… what was it? Reluctance? He couldn't place his finger on it, but what he did know was that if this person was talking to him, something was up._

"_What is it Abel?"_

_He was in his usual attire: A pair of slightly shaggy camo pants and a blue shirt that featured a variety of lightning bolts all over it. He was also sporting a yellow hat with a pokeball on the front of it and additionally, Ash didn't miss the Mega Necklace he was wearing either._

_Abel bit his lip; his dark blue eyes being slightly shielded for a moment before he spoke. "I wanted to apologize to you, Ghost."_

_Ash raised an eyebrow. "For?"_

_He spoke again quietly. "I think we got off on the wrong foot." He held his hand out curiously and Ash shook it. "My Name is Abel Winchine, and I hail from Hoenn." He suddenly laughed and awkwardly chuckled for a moment. "This sounded a lot better in my head than it does now." Ash shook his head. "I'm still confused; why exactly are you even talking to me?" Abel's eyes widened again and he said quickly. "O-of course! I-I'm sorry!"_

_He then turned slightly grim, his 16-year old face slightly wincing as he awaited Ghost's response to the following statement. _

"_I need your help." _

_Present…_

Ash was more than just a little bit surprised; here was arguably his toughest competition outside the champion's and elites asking _him _for _his _help. It was slightly amusing, but at the same time, was it? He wasn't quite sure. Abel had a slightly guilty look in his eyes, and Ash was forced to consider something else: why had Abel's personality changed so much since their most recent exchange back at the party?

He frowned a little and thought back to that day, trying to recall how he had acted and what kind of vibe he gave off.

_Flashback… Chapter 8…_

The boy spoke first. "So… word is you're Ghost."

Ash didn't say anything. "All these people here think they've got a chance." He scoffed and then chuckled. "They really haven't seen you battle have they?" Ash couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in surprise. This guy didn't sound like he was insulting him, but rather, acknowledging his strength in battle.

Ash spoke. "You've done your homework." He then frowned. This boy seemed familiar… but where did Ash know him from? He couldn't place his finger on it.

The boy shrugged. "Well I've seen you battle firsthand. I was a semi-finalist until Gardens dispatched me." Ash's eyes slightly widened. _THAT _was where he knew this boy from! He also understood why he hadn't recognized him. It had been years since Ash had seen this boy, and he hadn't even battled him. However, someone very close to him _had. _

"You've certainly grown Abel." Ash smirked a little. Abel actually appeared to be taken aback at this, like he didn't expect Ghost to actually know who he was. Ash added with a grin. "I do my homework too." The boy nodded, an emotionless expression on his face. "I suppose I should've known; you _are _the best trainer here after all… well… after me of course." Ash didn't say anything. He knew better than to underestimate this trainer.

He was, after all, the trainer that defeated Zandra in the tournament. However, that was before Abel had been starstruck in the following round by the eventual runner-up of the tournament named Deshiro Gardens. Ash had easily squashed Gardens, only losing two Pokémon while crushing all of Gardens' Pokémon. In the prior rounds, in the top 8, Zandra had been defeated by Abel, who still had two Pokémon left when he was declared the winner. Gardens had bamboozled Abel in the following round with many status conditions that left him desperate. He had fallen just short, knocking out four of Gardens' Pokémon before falling.

Abel Winchine grinned just a little. "You've got modesty Ghost. Anyone else in your position would be bragging about how easy it would be to win." Ash wisely and coldly said. "Overconfidence leads to defeat."

Abel tapped the side of his head while smirking at Ash. "Yet, no confidence at all gives one no battle spirit, wouldn't you agree?" Ash nodded. "I would indeed."

Abel walked up to Ash's side and whispered quietly. "We didn't have the chance to battle in the tournament before. I would've won then… and I will win now. I'm sorry Ghost, but I am going to win this championship and take your crown. Whenever we battle, and I know we will…" He walked slowly past him. "… I will be ready." He then walked out; a calm yet determined expression written all over his face.

Ash and Pikachu didn't look back to face him. Instead, once Ash knew he was gone, he turned to his faithful partner since day one and spoke quietly. "It appears… we have met our match in this tournament. But… he better watch it. After all…" He grinned and spoke in a serious yet joking manner.. "With that kind of overconfidence, we can't lose."

_Flashback End…_

Ash's eyes widened a little in recognition. He had totally forgotten about that; his confidence! He remembered Abel's confidence being seemingly through the roof during their most recent exchange of words, but this time… he seemed rather… what was the word he was looking for? Off? Broken? No… not broken… nervous? He scrunched his eyebrows a little to try and think but then realized he was being watched by the same person who was standing across from him with a guilty and yet hopeful look in his eyes.

He regained his cool Ghost demeanor. "What do _you _need _my _help with?"

Abel chuckled weakly. "Word travels around this island. There's plenty of rumors saying you'll give people a helping hand."

Ash commented. "Word also is that I don't work for free."

Abel paled a little bit at that. He said quietly. "I-I don't h-have any money…"

Ash then narrowed his eyes. "Then we have nothing to talk about. Best of luck to you in this competition." Ash then turned away to walk away and as he was just about to escape from Abel, he felt a hand grab his arm. In one fluid motion, Abel found himself thrown away by Ghost's arm, which had hurled him backwards through the air. He landed in a heap on the ground and Ghost said venomously. "You better have a damn good reason to put a hand on me Winchine; speak fast and speak now."

Abel quietly said. "The reason I need your help is… is…" Ghost snarled and stood up. "I don't have time for this shit." He walked off and made it only five or six steps before a voice yelled behind him. "My Pokémon were stolen from me!"

Ash turned back, surprise replacing anger almost instantly. "If that's the case, why haven't you gone to Officer Jenny and the police? Why me? There must obviously be a reason for that." Abel spoke, embarrassment leaking out of his voice. "Can you imagine the amount of media and attention that'll be brought to me if I go to the police?" He added on dramatically. '_Abel Winchine, star of Hoenn League, unable to protect his own Pokémon from common thieves…'_ He shook his head sadly.

Ghost pointed out. "Bowing down to the one who you essentially called your stiffest competition is also not exactly something I'd do as well."

Abel bit his lip but said nothing, fiddling with his thumbs as he stood up from the ground, carefully considering his options. Ghost continued. "No… you have a more specific reason to visit me of all people. What's the catch? You wouldn't dare come to me without a damn good reason. On top of that, if you knew that if you came to me without something in currency and asked for my help you'd likely be turned down." Abel appeared surprised at Ghost's perception, but still said nothing. Ghost's eyes narrowed.

"So I'll ask again… why come to me?"

Abel bit his lip even more, putting it on the verge of cutting his lip open. He finally got the words he had been trying to say out. "The reason I came to you is because we have a common enemy." Ash raised an eyebrow. "And _who _is that?" He frowned a little and spoke two words that Ash knew all too well.

"Max Maple."

Ash's blood ran cold at the name. Of course, Abel was expecting this reaction from Ghost, but of course, not for the reasons he was thinking. Had Abel known the truth between Ash and Max, he would've known far too much. Abel was only thinking about the situation between them back at The Party Starter before the tournament had begun. That battle had clearly drawn bad blood between them and Abel knew this.

Ash spoke quietly after a moment. "The fact that the little squirt doesn't like you doesn't surprise me; he's spoiled and stupid. He acts like he's the big man on the block when in reality he can't even cut it at being the class clown. Why should that make me want to help you, and what does that have to do with your Pokémon getting stolen?"

Abel said. "_He _stole my Pokémon. Well, his asshole friends and him that is." Ash actually had to think about this. Why would they steal _Abel's _Pokémon? What on earth had he done to them? It wasn't adding up. Perhaps he could gain something from this little situation, something more valuable than Money: Information. And for Ghost, the champion and ruler of an entire region, he couldn't have enough of it.

"What exactly did you do to piss them off? Were you just a random hit, or do you think you did something to them to have a giant target painted on your back?" Ash did his best to make the question sound nonchalant. Abel replied, completely unaware. "I… I think there may be one or two reasons he's targeted me."

"Which are?"

Abel hesitated. "I knocked him out in three different tournaments, and when I arrived here, I ran into him. We got into a little bit of a heated argument, but it done after that! Nobody got hurt, no threats were made, nothing! I honestly can't believe he'd even stoop so low!"

Ash fought the urge to grumble. "I would." Instead, he said. "How do you even know it was him? Do you have any proof or what?"

Abel shook his head. "No, but what I do know is that I saw Max and his friends staring at me during dinner last night with really curious eyes. I didn't know why they were staring at me but I assumed it was just them thinking about the fact that I had mopped the floor with Cilan not too much earlier and that they were just angry with me… Oh… maybe there's another reason?" He said, blushing a bit from embarrassment.

Ash waved it off and said. "Continue."

Abel nodded. "I finished my meal but suddenly, as I finished the last of my cup of water, I could tell something tasted… off, about it. I had no clue what was wrong with it, but the next thing I knew, I woke up on my bed completely out. I had no idea how I got there so I asked Nurse Joy if she knew how I got in my room. She said to me that Max and his friends carried me up there, and before that, they asked if they could have a spare room key in order to get in. She asked why they needed it and they said it was just because I had fallen asleep out in the cafeteria and they wanted to "give me a hand," as she put it." Abel scowled.

"I checked my entire room; of my three Pokémon that I originally had in my battle with Cilan, I had sent one into the PC, so I was missing two Pokémon: My partner and my Flygon. I checked around everywhere to see if I accidentally dropped them, but no, they're gone. I don't know what to do, and you were the first person I could think of."

Ash shook his head. "What kind of currency are you giving me?" He was eerily quiet for a moment before speaking. "I know of a mystical Pokémon that you may be interested in hearing about."

Now, _that _was something interesting.

"The Pokémon is unheard of, it's not of this world. You won't even believe me when I tell you, trust me." Ash chuckled. "Trust me; I won't be easily surprised."

Abel smirked a little and began to speak. "If I tell you, you gotta promise you'll help me." Ash frowned just a bit before sighing aloud. This was a different situation the more and more he thought about it. This wasn't amongst his usual "Please Help me" pleas. After all, this time it was actually someone who directly had a word that they _recently _had something happen to them. He decided. "Very Well. I accept."

Abel nodded before speaking. "There's a Pokémon that I've heard of… or… something called a… Beast of some sort? I heard its name is Delveon; I know, it sounds like an Eeveeolution and it is, I think? L-look, it's beside the point: I know where it is rumored to appear! I-I—" He began talking again before Ash abruptly shoved him against the closest wall with a stunning amount of force, and more than enough to make Abel cry out in surprised pain.

"HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW ABOUT DELVEON!? THAT'S CLASSIFIED!" Ash yelled at the boy who appeared to be about three different kinds of shaken up by Ghost's sudden outburst. "L-look my g-girlfriend told me about Delveon because I was curious a-about why she was s-so moody as of late and she explained some stuff to m-me, b-but I s-swear, t-that's it!"

Ash's mind, however, had frozen up entirely. He barely caught everything else Abel had said because his mind had yet another vivid flashback.

_Flashback… Chapter 9… MeléMelé Island… The Beach…_

_Another group of people were standing about and minding their own business. They were chatting amicably amongst each other and talking about the latest news in Alola when all of the sudden, a girl from the group cried out excitedly. "Look up there!" They saw a massive Pokémon approaching them and before they knew it, the area was covered by a small sandstorm that lasted about ten seconds._

_When it faded, the entire group realized who it was and cheered. "Ghost!" Ash took a bow along with a rather flustered Professor Kukui who laughed a little. Ash held out his hand to two of his closest friends, and they each shook it one by one. "Kiawé, you're lucky May and I are off on the right food or else I'd take that gym away from you." Kiawé paled. "You… You are joking right?" Ash chuckled and smirked. "Keep thinking that bud." _

_Ash then turned his attention to the other boy who shook his hand all the same. He grinned. "You're quite the hit Sophocles, everyone is in awe of ALT City you know." The boy happily said. "Clemont deserves a good portion of the credit, it was mainly his ideas, but I put them all together. So it was a joint effort!" Ash laughed and said with a smile. "Glad to know you guys get along so well."_

_Then, he was attacked by three figures, all females. "Ghost!" They all cried out at once. Ash squeaked out. "A-air…" They released him and Mallow happily said. "Ghost! Why did you never come visit me on my trip?" Ash chuckled nervously and said with a small grin. "Managing a region does have drawbacks Mallow…" She nodded and frowned. "My boyfriend would give you a run for your money…"_

_End of Flashback…_ _Time Skip About 30 Minutes…_

Mallow was humming happily as she aided her father cook for their restaurant. It was still one of her most favorite things to do to pass time. She smiled as she watched Lillie and her Ninetales, Snowy, both enjoying the first round of food that had come out for them not too much earlier. Lillie happily said. "That was amazing Mallow!"

Then, she turned to the door when she heard it open. She saw a cloaked figure walk in with an odd lump on his shoulder. She frowned a little; it had been quite some time since she had seen him wear this outfit. She motioned him to follow her in the back of the restaurant, completely unaware (and rightfully so) about how angry he was at her. Once they had a decent amount of privacy, she turned on him. "So why the sudden appearance Ghost? Taking a little bit of a break from the lovely scenery in Aether Paradise and ALT City?"

He then took off his hook and revealed himself along with Pikachu. Then, she noticed the angry look in his eyes. She narrowed hers in confusion. "Is something wron—" She never even got to finish her sentence because Ash was in her face instantly. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD REVEAL THE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ABOUT DELVEON! THAT IS SOMETHING NOBODY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT!"

The room was silent for a moment before Mallow managed to stutter out. "I-I don't e-even know what y-you're t-talking about…"

Ash snarled. "Like Hell you do! Abel told me everything I needed to know, Lusamine trusted us with that information and you couldn't even think straight enough to not tell anyone? What's wrong with you!?"

"Nothing is wrong with her." The duo turned over and saw Lillie standing there with Ninetales at her side. She spoke quietly. "It was my fault, not Mallow's, as much as it will seem like that… Ghost…"

Ash was bewildered. "What… What are you even talking about Lillie?"

Then, behind her, another figure walked in. Ash gasped aloud. "A-Abel? W-what?" The boy smiled a little sheepishly and Lillie spoke quietly. "We've been dating for some time now, and you really ought to be more quiet when you have your conversations." Ash's mind was running a thousand miles a minute. Abel knew where Delveon was going to come out from? But how? Why didn't Lillie say anything before?

Then, another thought hit him like a freight train: What if Abel knew his identity? If that was the case, things were about to get very sketchy. May was still the first person he intended to tell he was alive and well. Serena would probably be close behind him: Abel wasn't even sniffing that list yet, and if he already knew his identity, things were not going to look good for him: there was going to be much explaining to do.

He spoke after quite some time of staring at Lillie and Abel. He began by turning back to Mallow and telling her. "I apologize for my rash accusations Mallow. That was uncalled for, and I regret my swift words to you." He then turned back to Lillie and Abel and said as calmly as he could. "But I'm still quite curious to know why—"

Mallow suddenly cut in. "Wait, I don't even know who you are? Are you like friends with Lillie or something?" Ash made a silent note of that. _'She seems oddly confused… like she doesn't know they're dating… they must've kept this quiet; I wonder why.' _

Lillie explained. "Mallow, this is Abel Winchine… and he's… well… he's my boyfriend!" She smiled happily. Mallow's jaw dropped open and she squealed. "Oh My Gosh! Lillie! You're dating someone! Why didn't you say something sooner!?" Lillie smiled a little and Ash caught something as she spoke again. "It's a story for another time." Ash caught her eyes and realized what she meant: She was referring to Ash, who was in the room as well. What did it have to do with him?

He watched as she motioned for the two of them to follow her and Abel out. Ash did so with curiosity blooming inside his chest, wondering just what the hell they were about to spring on him.

_Ten Minutes Later…_

Ash was stunned. "W-what…" Mallow's eyes were as wide as saucers. Lillie nodded in understanding. She had explained everything to them, and they were in stunned silence.

Lillie explained that she had met Abel during her trip with Gladion. **(AN: The Trip I mentioned a few chapters ago…) **They hadn't immediately hit it off, as Abel had challenged Gladion to a battle, who begrudgingly accepted. Gladion, however, had been caught on the wrong side of the fight, and was stunningly defeated by the brown haired boy. It was only then that after seeing Abel's other side, he opened up to the boy.

Ash had been further stunned when she continued talking. Abel had travelled with them for about a month give or take in Sinnoh, the region they had met in, and he learned all about the Ultra Beasts from Lillie and Gladion, who were curious to see if Spear Pillar, located on Mt. Coronet in Sinnoh, was possibly the cause of all of it. Determined to keep them both safe, Abel decided to venture with them. As they both found out, it was a good idea. Team Galactic, who was planning a resurgence under a new leader, decided to try and snoop back into Spear Pillar while they were there.

Of course, Abel and Gladion were both incredibly dominant battlers, but they had hit shaky territory when Lillie found herself being kidnapped by the criminal organization. Then, just as she was about to lose sight of the two males, she managed to break free of her binds with the help of Snowy. Just when she was about to escape from them entirely, however, one of the grunts had ordered a sludge bomb attack. Lillie had covered up Snowy, knowing she was about to be hit.

Except the blast never connected.

Abel had jumped in front of the purple ball, taking it all himself and got hurtled some distance away, beaten and poisoned by the deadly attack. As Gladion defeated the Grunts, Lillie desperately tended to Abel, who had sacrificed himself for a girl he didn't even know. He was nurtured back to health by her as the days passed by, and they slowly developed feelings for one another. One thing led to another, and here they were, back for the tournament because of both Gladion and Abel both performing.

Ash got over his shock and said. "That certainly answers quite a bit, but not all of it." Ash turned to Abel. "How do you know where Delveon is going to come out?" Abel grinned a little. "I helped Lillie by digging into some research and we were able to pinpoint exactly where Delveon should appear."

Ash narrowed his eyes. "I thought you said Lillie told you?"

Abel blushed a little. "A-Ah… e-er…"

Lillie cut in. "I did tell him. But what exactly are you referring to?"

Ash smirked just a little and said quietly. "Abel here was making it sound like this information was extremely classified and in the dark. I now see I was very misled…" Suddenly, realization dawned on Abel's face. "Wait, how do you two know each other anyway? You knew exactly what I was talking about… how did you know about Delveon already?"

Ash smirked a little. He would admit: he had been a little worried about that question had it been asked immediately, but he had been given enough time to formulate a solid and entirely legitimate response. "I'm the champion of a region, and I purposely set up ALT City directly connected to Aether Paradise for a reason. It's my job to know everything that happens in my region, so why wouldn't I know about Delveon?"

Ash honestly expected to be in the clear, but Abel wasn't letting him off that fast. The boy crossed his arms with slightly narrowed eyes. "That doesn't fully answer my question; how do you and Lillie know each other?" 

Silently cursing Abel for his sense of curiosity and shrewdness, Ash managed to come up with yet another legitimate response. "The Woman in charge of Aether Paradise is named Lusamine, Lillie's mother. Obviously, she asked for my assistance in Ultra Guardian operations and seeing as how Lillie is part of it, I know her from that."

Thankfully, Abel seemed to understand it. Lillie spoke aloud. "Abel told me about the situation with the thieves, maybe you should help him first Ghost. While you're helping him, we can determine exactly _when _Delveon is supposed to appear and then when you get his Pokémon back we can devise a plan to stop Delveon from ripping through Alola, or wherever it should choose to appear."

Ash didn't argue. When Lillie was set in her points, he knew it was best to just agree with her and leave it at that. However. Abel realized there was still a problem.

"How, are we going to get my Pokémon back from Max and his band of wimpy goons?" Abel sounded a tad bit concerned. Ash smirked a little.

"Leave that to me." 

_Later…_

Abel would've liked to admit that he wasn't nervous. The issue was that he hated hypocrites with a burning passion. What did that have to do with anything? The thing was, he hated liars, and he would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. Therefore, it would make himself a hypocrite. So, essentially speaking, Abel was very nervous about what was about to happen.

He knew it would likely end well for them. After all, there _was _a champion on his side, and nobody ridiculously powerful on the other side. Still, Abel couldn't help but wonder what exactly Ghost had up his sleeve. Ghost was almost always known for being calm, laid-back and relaxed; confidence was something he rarely sported, at least, something he rarely sported openly.

As they walked inside the Pokémon center, Abel said one final time. "Ghost, are you sure about this?"

Ash smirked once more. "Watch and learn."

He approached Nurse Joy and said with a look of total indifference. "Hello Nurse Joy, how are you on this fair afternoon?" Nurse Joy smiled at the champion. "I'm doing quite well Ghost! Thank you so much for asking! Is there something I can help you with?"

Ghost turned serious. "I need access to the room of one of the competitors."

She frowned at this and Abel's silent sweat continued. There was no way she'd allow him check a competitors room, champion or not. "Why do you need to do so?"

Ash motioned to Abel. "My friend here claims a competitor stole a Pokémon of his, and he came to me for assistance. As Champion of Alola, I refuse to turn my head to any thieves, robbers, burglars, or hostiles of any kind. It's my duty to defend this region till my dying breath, and I refuse to stop that duty today. That is why I must investigate this person's room Nurse Joy; to uphold the vow I took the day I became Champion."

Abel thought the speech was crummy, in all honesty. It sounded so corny Abel thought it was actually believable.

And believable it was. Nurse Joy smiled in the slightest and said politely. "Very Well. Whose room is it you wish to know?"

Ash commented aloud. "The person's name is Max Maple."

She nodded and spoke. "I'll check the database for you Ghost, one moment." She turned away to check her computer nearby and Abel tapped Ash on the shoulder, shock all over his face. "H-how… How did you know she would accept and help us?" Ash said calmly. "What I said was completely true. I have sworn my allegiance to this region and she knows that if I even tried to backstab this beautiful region, I would regret it in many ways. Therefore, anything I try to do is with good cause, and because I have shown my faith and loyalty to Alola, everyone stands behind me, as an army does for their general."

Pikachu, who was perched on Ash's shoulder, piped in. "Pika Pi!" Abel raised an eyebrow. "What did he say?"

Ghost grinned. "He's just agreeing with me, that's all."

Abel was staring at Ghost in a different light, perhaps Ghost wasn't as different as Abel thought he was. Ghost seemed to be, underneath that cold demeanor, a nice person. Abel could just tell that. Still, he didn't go blabbing about it, he chose to keep it secret. Meanwhile, Nurse Joy had returned. She spoke.

"He's in room 442. Take the Elevator right over there—" She pointed towards it. "Then once you get off at the 4th floor, simply walk down the hall and take your first left. You'll see it right in front of you."

She smiled politely and said. "I do hope you can bring him to justice." Ash smiled. "That makes two of us," was his reply, before turning on his heel and walking straight at the elevator, with Abel in his wake. They stood in silence as the elevator approached the 4th floor and they both followed the directions exactly as Nurse Joy had said. Pikachu sniffed the air and cried out softly. "Pi! Pi Pi Pikachu!" He was pointing towards the room.

Abel blinked. "What's it saying?"

Ash shook his head. "Don't worry about it. Just follow my lead."

Abel nodded dumbly and followed Ash, who rapped on the door three times as loudly as he could, then stood off to the side, concealing himself from the little peep-hole that every Pokémon center door had. After a moment, footsteps were heard and the door opened. In that exact instead Ash came into view and saw a horrified looking Max when he realized who had knocked on his door.

"Hello Maxie—" Ash started before swiftly punching him in the face, sending him backwards and onto the floor. Immediately, more footsteps were heard, and Ash called out his faithful purple eeveeolution. Misty, who had an lack of clothing on, cried out. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Abel said angrily. "Taking back what's mine! Where is it Maple?"

Max smirked innocently. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Abel snarled. "Why you little—"

All of the sudden, Max's eyes were as wide as saucers and they glowed a bright blue. Max's friends rushed to help him, but were sent flying back by Pikachu, who had unleashed a small thunderbolt at them to keep them restrained. It was Espeon using Psychic in order to try and read Max's mind, uncovering the location of the stolen Pokémon. Abel watched with bated breath, and Ash appeared to be indifferent about the entire thing.

Suddenly Espeon's eyes stopped glowing as well as Max's. Max then stumbled backwards and collapsed on the ground, struggling to get up. Espeon spoke aloud. "Espeee… Espeon!" The cat walked over to a nearby desk and Ash followed curiously. Espeon hopped on top of the desk and purred loudly. Ash questioned. "In there?"

"Espe!" The cat nodded.

Ash motioned for Abel to check who did just that. He fished through the first few drawers and after a few seconds, he took out a pokeball and cried out triumphantly. "This… This is it!" Ash raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said there were two of them?" Abel's face fell and he muttered. "There's a second one… you're right." He fished around in the desk for a few moments before saying fearfully. "Its… it's not here!"

Ash frowned and said to Espeon. "Do you know if it's here?" Espeon shook her head. Ash muttered something under his breath before he suddenly grinned and turned to Max and said sweetly. "So Max, got anything to tell us?"

Max stuttered. "I-I-I d-don't even know what you're t-talking about…"

Ash smirked. "Oh, you don't do you?" He grabbed Max by the shirt and hoisted him in the air, Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and crackling with electricity. Max held his defense, but the fear was in his eyes. "I-I s-swear…" Ash frowned and began to consider alternate possibilities. Max, oddly enough, seemed to be telling the truth. But still, he had to see about what could've happened other than Max lying.

There were most certainly other options. Espeon may have missed something, but then again, it _was _a Psychic Pokémon, so maybe Max was simply lying? Ash then almost smacked himself in the forehead. He turned around to his Pokémon and said calmly. "Can you see if he's lying?" His Pokémon trilled. "Espeee!" It's eyes once more glowed blue, as did Max's.

Misty, who had been watching closely for a moment or so, began to slowly walk out of the room, unbeknownst to the two males and their Pokémon. Well, that was for only a single moment. Max's eyes stopped glowing. Espeon's, however, did not. Misty suddenly howled. "PUT ME DOWN YOU STUPID CAT!"

Ash frowned. "Don't call my Pokémon stupid; a reminder of what exactly is currently making you float in the air…" Misty paled a little bit but the frown and look of anger did not leave her face. Ash calmly said. "So, where's the other Pokémon Miss Waterflower?"

Misty snarled. "What makes you think I'll tell you?" Ash smirked and said. "Thanks for confirming it." Her eyes widened in realization. Espeon's eyes continued to glow blue, and Misty's eyes glowed blue as well. Abel knew Espeon was reading the mind of Misty, as it had just done with Max. He had to wonder if what was happening was legal, but Abel knew it was for a good cause.

Misty's eyes regained their standard look, and she stuttered in horror. "Wh-what did you just do?" Espeon carefully approached Misty who instinctively reached for her Pokémon belt. Espeon's eyes once more glowed and restrained Misty from moving. While still walking forward, Espeon circled Misty and stopped her Psychic attack and Misty scrambled away. It was too late though.

Misty reached for her Pokémon belt again and her eyes widened when she felt one was missing. Ash scoffed. "You actually had a stolen Pokémon _on _you?" Misty argued. "I-I didn't know it was a stolen Pokémon!" Ash gave her a look that said, "You honestly expect me to buy that?" Abel accused. "You all stole my two Pokémon!"

Misty again began to splutter angrily before abruptly sprinting out of the room. Abel chased her with aggression. Ash shook his head for a moment before staring down at Max and said quietly. "You will not steal again. You're lucky there's no proof of you stealing them, otherwise you'd be gone. Got it?" Max fearfully nodded his head and Ash chased down Abel.

Misty was out on the balcony, hand on a pokeball. Abel was doing the same thing. Ash yelled loudly. "That's enough, the both of you." Both didn't move a muscle. Then, Ash's pokegear rang. He watched the two for another moment before carefully picking up the pokegear and saying into it. "Hello?"

_"Ghost? Is that you!?" _It was most certainly a female voice. Ash spoke quietly. "This is Ghost. Speak."

"_Ghost! We found the spawn location of Delveon! I repeat, we've found the spawn location of Delveon!" _

"Perfect. Where is it?"

And that was when all hell broke loose. An ear-splitting explosion sounded and the next thing Ash knew, he was sailing through the air. Then, there was a burst of blinding pain in his right arm. He rolled over and swiftly stood up, ignoring the minor pain in his arm. He realized he had managed to fly backwards into the room. However, as he stared around, he realized that Abel was missing. He quickly ran out to stare out down and breathed a sigh of relief.

The Pokémon center itself, though in the middle of a city, was luckily enough, surrounded by a small moat of water. He saw Abel swimming below in it with Misty. Both of them appeared to have been knocked off.

But knocked off by what? He looked up and paled profusely. There, sailing in the sky, was a golden Pokémon. It had strange objects sailing behind it, almost as though they were Sylveon's feelers. It had a very odd object shining on its forehead, it looked to be all the colors of the rainbow. The Pokémon's blue eyes were staring down at him. Ash whispered aloud in a mesmerized voice.

"Delveon."

**AN: And that's all she wrote folks. That was a much shorter chapter than I intended but it's the way the ball bounced. Of course I try to make the chapters longer than that but it's just how it happened I guess. So now, I shall explain what is happening with the story.**

**So, you're all probably wondering why it took me a week extra to post. It's simply because I'm very busy with college. There is no set timetable to post exactly once a week, but I will admit, I should've gotten it out sooner, so for that, I am sorry. Usually, I am busy in college, but this week I was extra busy. Hopefully the next post comes out a week from today, still, I can't promise anything. Hope ya'll understand.**

**Also, for those who followed and favorited the story, thanks so much! It honestly means so much to me guys, thanks for showing your support! If you haven't already, please do!  
**

**That's all I got guys, hope ya'll enjoyed the shorter chapter. Till next time!**

**LegionZ**


	14. Surviving Multiple Scares

**Hey everyone welcome back to The Chosen One's Wrath by ya boi LegionZ! If you're new to this story I urge you to follow and favorite this story so you can keep up to date with it, show your support, and let me know you're enjoying it! Soooo yeah lets talk right? I'm typing this like two days before I'm supposed to post so I feel like I'm supposed to get going. **

**So nothing much has changed: I'm extremely busy with my sophomore year and that's not changing anytime soon. This week I had a whopping 3 exams and I have one due early next week as well, so I'm going to be tight again on time. Hopefully I can push out the chapter early next week, but as per usual, no promises.**

**As per usual, if you have any questions to ask me, please send me a PM or review the chapter (Assuming you aren't on a guest account) and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. That's about it guys, I hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 14**

_Last Chapter…_

"_So why the sudden appearance Ghost? Taking a little bit of a break from the lovely scenery in Aether Paradise and ALT City?"_

_He then took off his hook and revealed himself along with Pikachu. Then, she noticed the angry look in his eyes. She narrowed hers in confusion. "Is something wron—" She never even got to finish her sentence because Ash was in her face instantly. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD REVEAL THE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION ABOUT DELVEON! THAT IS SOMETHING NOBODY SHOULD KNOW ABOUT!"_

_The room was silent for a moment before Mallow managed to stutter out. "I-I don't e-even know what y-you're t-talking about…"_

_Ash snarled. "Like Hell you do! Abel told me everything I needed to know, Lusamine trusted us with that information and you couldn't even think straight enough to not tell anyone? What's wrong with you!?"_

_"Nothing is wrong with her." The duo turned over and saw Lillie standing there with Ninetales at her side. She spoke quietly. "It was my fault, not Mallow's, as much as it will seem like that… Ghost…"_

_Ash was bewildered. "What… What are you even talking about Lillie?"_

_Then, behind her, another figure walked in. Ash gasped aloud. "A-Abel? W-what?" The boy smiled a little sheepishly and Lillie spoke quietly. "We've been dating for some time now, and you really ought to be more quiet when you have your conversations." Ash's mind was running a thousand miles a minute. Abel knew where Delveon was going to come out from? But how?_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Misty was out on the balcony, hand on a pokeball. Abel was doing the same thing. Ash yelled loudly. "That's enough, the both of you." Both didn't move a muscle. Then, Ash's pokegear rang. He watched the two for another moment before carefully picking up the pokegear and saying into it. "Hello?"_

_"Ghost? Is that you!?" It was most certainly a female voice. Ash spoke quietly. "This is Ghost. Speak." _

"_Ghost! We found the spawn location of Delveon! I repeat, we've found the spawn location of Delveon!" _

"_Perfect. Where is it?"_

_And that was when all hell broke loose. An ear-splitting explosion sounded and the next thing Ash knew, he was sailing through the air. Then, there was a burst of blinding pain in his right arm. He rolled over and swiftly stood up, ignoring the minor pain in his arm. He realized he had managed to fly backwards into the room. However, as he stared around, he realized that Abel was missing. He quickly ran out to stare out down and breathed a sigh of relief._

_The Pokémon center itself, though in the middle of a city, was luckily enough, surrounded by a small moat of water. He saw Abel swimming below in it with Misty. Both of them appeared to have been knocked off._

_But knocked off by what? He looked up and paled profusely. There, sailing in the sky, was a golden Pokémon. It had strange objects sailing behind it, almost as though they were Sylveon's feelers. It had a very odd object shining on its forehead, it looked to be all the colors of the rainbow. The Pokémon's blue eyes were staring down at him. Ash whispered aloud in a mesmerized voice._

"_Delveon."_

_Present…_

To say Ash was stunned was an understatement. The Pokémon was beautiful, it looked somewhat like Sylveon except it had some major different aspects about it. For one, you know, it was glowing gold. For the other, it had a bright rainbow gem on its head. The Pokémon's bright blue eyes appeared to be piercing Ash's mind through and through, and Ash found himself in a peculiar situation, one that he didn't find himself in all that much: he was afraid.

Maybe that wasn't the best way to word it; he was afraid for the region and what could happen to it should Delveon not be restrained. He didn't know how he had gotten attacked, but what he did know was that he and the entire region were in trouble if he couldn't stop it. What's worse was that nobody else from the Ultra Guardians was ready for this, at least, to his knowledge. He knew a few more facts about Delveon as well thanks to Lusamine, who had hooked him up with some much needed information.

Delveon was a Sun-Type Pokémon. Sun-Type Pokémon had an absurd amount of advantages, and yet, no move was super-effective against it. Therefore, the only ways he could beat Delveon was by outsmarting it in battle, or simply overpowering it. He remembered what Lusamine's modified pokedex had said some days prior to the Ultra Guardians.

"**Delveon, the Sun God Pokémon, and the Legendary Evolved Form of Eevee. It is said that Delveon were the ancient warriors defending the Pharaoh Pokémon thousands of years ago. In Ancient Times, Delveon was commonly mistaken for Sylveon's. Delveon is the only Pokémon known to have the "Sun Type." Sun type moves are Super Effective against Grass, Bug, Dark, Fighting, and Steel Type Pokémon. In addition, No Pokémon moves are super effective against Sun Types." **

Ash frowned. While he had a full team with him at the moment, he had no idea what moves to use against this powerhouse Pokémon. His eyes widened a little when he also realized he had no idea what moves Delveon could use. It gave him very little room for error, and that was something he did not like in the slightest. What could he possibly do?

"_Ash, I repeat, we know where Delveon will appear, it's going to appear—" _

Ash muttered softly. "I know."

"_You what?" _

"I said, I—" He was cut off when Delveon stopped it's midair flight and landed gracefully in front of him, as if testing him. Ash froze up; he knew this could be life or death on the line here in a matter of extremes. He said as calmly as he could. "Your name is Delveon, is it not?" The Pokémon did not move a muscle, and just continued to stare at Ash with curious eyes. The earpiece Ash had wired to his pokegear was blaring.

"_Ghost, what is it?" _Ash's eyes widened ever so slightly as Delveon's eyes narrowed, almost as though it suspected Ash was going to try and hurt it. Well, if Delveon left without hurting anyone, then he wouldn't dare attack it. The Pokémon softly growled, as if warning him not to come closer or to pay the consequences. Ash slowly nodded, trying to calm the Pokémon down, but it wasn't meant to be.

"_GHOST!?" _Ash cursed softly as Delveon let out a mighty cry and unleashed a burst of purple pellets towards Ash. Ash leapt out of the way and yelled. "MALLOW! NOW IS NOT THE TIME!" he called out his faithful psychic type Pokémon, who trilled loudly. In addition, he called out his faithful Fire Monkey, who roared as well. Ash ordered. "Infernape, use Flamethrower, and Espeon, Psychic!"

The two attacks were unleashed, but to Ash's horror, Espeon's psychic did nothing to the Sun-Type, who broke through the move as though it hadn't been attacked in the first place. Delveon then avoided the wave of fire, flying right to avoid it. Ash yelled into his earpiece. "I need all guardians to my location _now! _Now God Damn it, NOW!"

Then, an explosion next to him shook him out of his emotional stupor. He was sent flying through the air, and before he knew it, was sailing towards the water that surrounded the Pokémon center in a flash. Ash yelled in midflight. "Espeon, use your Psychic attack and stop us, quick!" He didn't see Espeon, but he just knew his purple cat Pokémon would stop him from falling. As it turned out, Espeon had been knocked off as well. That didn't matter, because the cat was still able to float them soundly to the ground next to the water. Ash looked up to the skies to identify Delveon and paled.

Delveon was floating away towards the mainland, ignoring ALT City and Aether paradise as a whole. Ash cursed aloud. It was bittersweet that Delveon was leaving them alone. On one hand, it was good because the people of ALT City and the guests visiting the city would be safe from harm, the tournament wouldn't be delayed, and there wouldn't be anyone _immediately _injured. The downside of it was that now Aether Paradise wouldn't be able to send quick reinforcements and help to him and the guardians, if they were on their way that was.

Ash returned his most trusted Pokémon, who roared at his trainer faithfully. "Charizard, follow that Pokémon!" Ash commanded. Charizard didn't hesitate and soared off after an airborne Delveon. He narrowed his eyes as his Pokémon tore across the sky at a blinding speed. He gripped his Pokémon's back as tightly as he attempted to chase down Delveon through the skies. He told his faithful partner. "Pikachu, light up Delveon with Thunderbolt!"

Pikachu nodded and cried out. "Pikkkaaa Chuuuuuu!" The blast sailed past Delveon's right side, who didn't stop to acknowledge the blast at all. Ash growled. "Again." Pikachu fired one off again, and once more, it missed, this time sailing left past the Sun-Type. Ash was losing his patience, it wasn't long now until Delveon would hit MeleMele Island, and it wouldn't be long after that to hit the majority of the population of MeleMele island.

_'How do I hit Delveon with ANY move…' _He mused dejectedly. Then, it hit him. He smirked, this time, Delveon wouldn't know what hit it. He called out. "Pikachu, one more time! Charizard, Flamethrower! Predict where Delveon will be!" His fire-type grunted in agreement and watched as Pikachu unleashed yet another blast of lightning towards the flying sun-type Pokémon. Delveon felt the blast going right at it, so it went up to avoid the attack.

The next thing the Pokémon knew, it was blasted by a ray of fire. Losing its concentration, it was sent flying on an arc straight towards mainland MeleMele island. To Ash's fortune, it sailed beautifully past the major cities of Mele and landed on a sandy beach on the far side of the island. He thanked his lucky stars that all the biggest landmarks of MeleMele were being avoided.

Delveon was shakily getting to its feet after a rather nasty fall. Ash landed nearby on Charizard and knew this was no battle to back away from. He tossed up Infernape's pokeball as well as Zoroark, who took the appearance of Espeon. Charizard and Pikachu also took their stances around the Eeveeolution. Ash reacted.

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt! Charizard and Infernape, Flamethrower! Then Espeon, hit it with Foul Play if it tries to dodge!" The three blasts sailed towards Delveon, who took a deep breath. Ash's eyes widened in disbelief when Delveon's rainbow colored gem on its forehead glowed and suddenly, a tiny orange ball appeared underneath its gem and formed at its mouth. Ash realized what that was; a ball of fire from the _sun._ The ray connected with the three blasts and canceled them all out. Ash was stunned by its power.

To his horror, Delveon saw Espeon leap forward and in one move, picked it up by its feelers, making it stop in its tracks. To his complete surprise, Delveon then held up the Pokémon and began smacking it around with its feelers rapidly, which were glowing a bright blue as it did so. Then, it hurled Espeon backwards, making it smash into the ground with enough force to match a small car.

It was then that Zoroark's illusion wore off, and reappeared as a Zoroark. Delveon's eyes widened a little, but then returned to its normal glare. It charged up another ball of fire and unleashed the beam at its opponents. Ash ordered. "Pikachu, cancel it with Thunderbolt!"

As the bolt of lightning connected with the beam of fire, it was clear that Pikachu's attack was the more powerful one. It pushed back the beam little by little until, to Ash's stunned surprise, the beam completely blew through the attack. Pikachu cried out. "Pikaaaaaa!" As it was hit by the move. Landing far behind the rest of Ash's current crew, Pikachu rolled to a stop, bruised and battered from the attack.

"Pi… Pi… Pika Pi…" His partner panted in frustration and discomfort. Ash frowned; it was very rare that Pikachu's most dominant move was overpowered so easily. Just _what _was Delveon's move set? He had no idea, and as he had predicted, it was coming back to haunt him. Delveon unleashed a torrent of purple pellets, that was a move Ash _did _recognize: Psystrike.

Ash ordered. "Zoroark, jump in front of the blast! It'll have no effect on you, then, Charizard and Infernape, duel flamethrower as soon as the attack dissipates." It was moments like these that showed why Ash was a champion. Instead of simply ordering an evasion of the move, which would cost his faithful team time to counter-attack, using Zoroark's type immunities, he was able to load up two moves without doing much of anything, it was essentially a free shot.

And this time, Delveon was unable to get out of the way. The two blasts of fire smothered it head on, and sent it flying backwards into the water. It was then that an answered prayer came upon Ash.

"You needed help!?" He turned and saw the rest of the Ultra Guardians flying in on their designated Pokémon. He nodded and yelled. "Lana! I need you to check out Pikachu! He took an attack of some sort; I can't really be sure what it is!"

"I'll take care of it! Ash, let us heal the rest of your Pokémon too! You're about to be in for one crazy fight!" Ash nodded and tagged out, allowing Sophocles, Kiawe, Mallow, and Lillie all hold the line for him while Lana healed his Pokémon alongside him. As Delveon battled off against four different Pokémon at once, Lana gave Ash the best run-down she could of Delveon's movseset.

"Look, I'll try to explain as best I can, its move set is—" She was cut off as Ash said. "I already know Psystrike is one, skip that, tell me the others." Lana watched as Lillie's Ninetales was blown aside by a large explosion that emitted from Delveon. Lana explained. "You've definitely heard of Calm Mind, yes?" Ash blinked. "Of course!"

"That's one of them; the other two are sacred moves that only Delveon are able to use." She said. Ash looked at her anxiously while he watched Mallow's Pokémon fall to the Sun-Type. She explained rapidly. "Here's the thing: Delveon has one major offensive move and one major defensive move, well, moves you wouldn't know about that is."

Ash guessed aloud. "The one where a ball of fire appears over its mouth is it's offensive move I presume?" Lana nodded. "The move is called Sun Beam; depending on the time of day and the weather, its power can increase to unheard of levels, be glad that today isn't the nicest of days or else your entire team could've been burnt to a crisp already!" Ash motioned to Pikachu and worriedly said. "If this isn't domination enough, then we're in trouble. What's the other move?"

Lana explained as carefully as she could. "This move is tough to pick up on, so bear with me. The move is called Aegis Defense. It's a move that primarily acts as a different version of protect for most moves, but there is a catch to this move. For one, certain moves like Hydro Pump, Fire Blast, or any other move that can primarily deal move than 120 damage at base power will overwhelm Aegis Defense, therefore cancelling it out. That's the downside of Aegis Defense."

As another explosion nearly pegged them, Ash yelled. "What's the upside!?"

Lana answered. "If the Pokémon attacks and leaves themselves vulnerable to a counter, then Aegis defense goes into a rampage attack. It first stops the opponents move dead in its tracks with its standard "Protect" move, and then strikes, attacking the Pokémon when it is at its most vulnerable."

Ash commented. "That's what it did to Zoroark!"

Lana nodded and yelled. "Exactly! If you can conquer its moveset, you should be okay!"

Then, an explosion came too close. It sent both Lana and Ash flying in separate directions. Lana did not get up. Ash skidded backwards and looked up to meet Delveon's eyes. He got a horrifying shock when he saw all his friends and allies on the ground, bruises covering their bodies. He narrowed his eyes, knowing that even with the full extent of their injuries, he had to focus on the task at hand: stopping Delveon before more people ended up like his allies. Though he knew his mission well, he also knew that he couldn't leave his fallen comrades behind with any help.

He motioned for Pikachu and Infernape to stay out front, and returned Charizard and Zoroark, knowing that if the worst came to worst, he was going to need them to cover for an escape. He tapped his earpiece a few times, lining up with a certain frequency that he knew would connect him to Lusamine.

"Mayday, Mayday. I have guardians down, I repeat I have guardians down, this is codename Ghost asking for immediate assistance, this is not a drill. Come to my coordinates as soon as possible for aid and evac." Then, another nearby explosion sent him sailing through the air. He pushed himself up once he landed and then felt his earpiece, or rather, what was left of it. The pieces fell out of his ear and onto the ground. He muttered something about "Bloody inconvenient if you ask me…"

He pointed towards Delveon and yelled. "Pikachu use Iron Tail on the ground as hard as you can! Make a break in the sand!"

Pikachu swung its tail downwards and Delveon lost its balance. Ash waved his arm downwards. "Infernape, Flamethrower!" The trail of fire kicked up a titanic amount of sand, but Delveon didn't miss a beat. Regaining its footing, it fired off a Sun Beam that connected with Flamethrower in the middle of the field. After a moment, both blasts cancelled each other out, and allowing a storm of sand to sweep through the air.

Using its feelers, Delveon pushed away the massive amount of sand and stood tall;

To reveal no opponent in front of it. "Delvee!?" It cried out in horrified surprise.

"Now! Use Close Combat and Iron Tail! Slow it down!" Ash ordered. Hovering behind Delveon for the splittest of seconds, Delveon was assaulted from both sides as the blinding pain began to take it over. Ash was watching keenly, waiting for Delveon to regain its focus. He was no fool, he knew very well that Delveon wouldn't lightly take the damage it was receiving.

Sure enough, he saw Delveon's feelers glow and Ash roared. "Back off NOW!" Both his Pokémon were expecting his call, and leapt backwards, both avoiding getting caught by the Pokémon's feelers. Ash roared. "Now! Combination Strike—Thunderbolt into a Flamethrower! Disrupt Aegis Defense at all costs!"

"INNNFEEERRRNAPPEEE!"

"PIIIKKAAACHUUUU!"

The two attacks, primed by their trainer's words, unleashed their attacks. While split up they would likely be repelled, Ash's theory was that if they combined, Delveon's Aegis Defense wouldn't be able to stop it. Mathematically, at least, it made sense. Delveon let out a cry when the swirling beam of fire and electricity connected with its feelers. After a moment, it let out another, its defense giving way.

Lana had been correct. While his mind was on his blue-haired ally, his eyes darted backwards to see her still lying on the ground in obvious pain. But then, he was able to notice a helicopter or two in the distance, coming their way. Ash could make out a figure in the chopper with a mass of blonde hair streaming behind them. Then, he glimpsed something shining brightly through the air and sailing right towards him. He knew what it was. Ash yelled.

"Pikachu! You know what to do!" 

"Pika Pi!" His partner cried out before charging towards the shining object. Just before it was about to hit the ground, his partner swung its tail around in a circular motion and smacked the object to Ash through the air. Ash leapt up and grabbed the dark blue sphere: a beast ball. He felt his feet hit the soft sand once more, and knowing exactly where Delveon was, he threw it. Delveon, who was still lying on the ground through the smoke and sand, didn't have any time to try and move. The ball connected with it and sucked it in.

Ash sprinted through the smoke, determined to not let Delveon out of his sight. If this beast ball failed, he would have to wait for more; catching it in a standard pokeball was risky, to put it lightly. The ball shook slowly back and forth for a moment. One moment turned into another moment, and then another, then another.

Pikachu and Infernape stayed by Ash's side, awaiting orders should they be needed. The ball continued to shake, and the tension in the area continued to rise. Then, it finally happened.

The ball snapped, stars appearing out of it. Ash fell down in pure relief; it was finally over. His Pokémon sat down next to their trainer for a moment before Infernape ran over to the beast ball, picked it up, and handed it to its longtime trainer, who took and smiled in relief. He was barely even aware that Lusamine and the rest of the Aether paradise staff ran into the area to attend to all of them.

Lusamine rushed to Ash. "Did you—" Ash held up the beast ball with the faintest of grins on his face and said. "It's over." Lusamine let out a loud sigh of relief. She then noticed Lillie on the ground stirring and ran over to her daughter to check her condition. Ash saw something appear in front of him as he stared downwards at the ground and looked up; it was Gladion, who was looking at him with a grin on his face and his hand outstretched, offering his support. Ash groaned as he took it and was pulled to his feet.

Gladion spoke, the same grin on his face. "Close battle eh?"

Ash chuckled weakly. "Nothing I can't handle Gladion, where were you in the fight?"

He replied. "With my mother. Hope I didn't miss too much action."

"You only missed a mythical Pokémon attempt to blow me up with unseen attacks, beat my Pokémon up with an upgraded counter move, and have the ability to fly even though it's not a flying type." Ash joked. Gladion laughed. "Just another day in the life of a regional champion then… okay."

Lusamine motioned for Gladion to move out of the way so she could crush Ash in a tight hug. She said quietly. "Thank you for saving her, all of them."

Ash replied back in the same tone. "It was nothing."

Lusamine broke the hug and Ash handed her the beast ball slowly. He grinned a little, his lower lip cut from the force of the explosions that had hit him. "Be careful handling that one, I don't know if the tech you have will be able to hold off Delveon's pure power."

Lusamine raised an eyebrow in worry. "Are you saying we can't handle it?"

Ash motioned to the destruction that lay waste nearby. "If this is any indication, you need all the help you can get. My advice? Hold off on investigating and studying Delveon until I can keep a close eye on it, something tells me it won't be easy capturing this Pokémon should it escape again." He explained.

Lusamine stared at the Alola champion for a good few minutes before sighing in resignation. "There's no changing your mind is there?" She said with the faintest of grins on her face. Ash shook his head. "No, there isn't. My third matchup is against Barry in two days' time, after that, you're free to do as you please in terms of studying Delveon." Lusamine chuckled aloud, almost not believing Ash was this serious. "Ghost, please, surely you must be—"

"Champion's orders." He cut her off. Lusamine's eyes were as wide as saucers after that statement from their champion. Lusamine had been working side by side with Ash for over half a decade, with three years as the regional champion. Not one single time did Ash ever use those words to try and coerce someone into doing as he believed. Lusamine now realized just how deadly serious Ash was. She recalled just how beaten and battered the guardians had been and the worries that radiated out of Ash's voice when he called in for backup. She had asked for confirmation, but the line had been cut dead, raising her suspicions. Thankfully, using the "Last Known Location" feature on the earpiece, they quickly tracked Ash's location and immediately left to that spot.

She was now seeing that it had indeed been an emergency, and one that could've been far worse had Ash not been there.

Ash winced a little and shook his head. Lusamine blinked. "What is it Ghost?" He mumbled. "I… I don't know… I feel awfully lightheaded…" Then, he sat down on the ground, trying to understand what he was feeling. He spoke a little more firmly. "I'm going back to the league. I… I think I just need some sleep." He tried to sound as determined as possible, hoping Lusamine would buy it.

His prayers were answered. "Oh! Of course, you're bound to be exhausted after that brutal chase with Delveon. P-please, don't worry about a thing, we'll take care of everything."

A few moments passed, and just like that, Ash was sailing through the sky on a fully healed Charizard. "Rar?" It said as it could feel it's trainer dozing off, or rather, fighting off something as desperately as he could. Ash mumbled. "Just… get me back to my chambers Charizard. I… don't know what's happening to me… it feels like I'm being torn apart b-by something…" The words only encouraged Charizard to fly faster. Charizard was well-aware of Ash's dominant mental strength and power. To feel him this… lost… only made Charizard worry more for his trainer. 

After a good five minutes of sailing through the air at a breakneck pace, they landed on the balcony of Ash's chamber in the league. Ash stumbled off and collapsed to the ground before pushing himself to his feet. What was happening to him? He had double… no… triple vision, he felt like vomiting on top of it. He had no clue why he was suddenly feeling like this. He felt as though he would retch at any moment.

Ash shakily said. "I…I-I don't f-feel so good…" He then suddenly froze. Charizard saw his trainers eyes suddenly glow a bright blue, and Charizard watched as Ash stood rigid in his spot for a few seconds. Then, Charizard could only watch in slow motion as Ash fell forward and collapsed in a heap on the floor. His body was lifeless.

"Rarrr!" The fire-type dragon cried out. Pikachu, who was also watching in terror, squealed in horror. Sprinting at a breakneck pace, Pikachu urged on quickly to try and find someone, _anyone_ that could possibly help his trainer. Pushing open Ash's door that led to his chambers, Pikachu sprinting around the league with fear as a booster to try and find an elite member. Arriving in the main common room for the elites, Pikachu saw a figure on the couch. He sprinted over to the figure and began tugging on their leg.

"Pi! Pi! Pi!" The electric-rat cried. The brown-haired man said in confusion. "Uh… Pikachu? What are you doing here?" The mouse motioned for him to follow him with a sense of urgency. Xavier groaned. "Come on man, is it _really _that serious?" Pikachu was fighting the urge to leave Xavier and try to find someone who legitimately took the Pokémon seriously. The more he thought about it, though, Pikachu realized he couldn't risk it. Pikachu sprinted back in the direction of Ash's chamber and Xavier sighed.

He pushed himself up and slowly followed. _'What could Ash's mouse possibly want…' _Pikachu was motioning for him to come faster and Xavier refused. He was drained from _watching _all of the battle's that had occurred that day. He just wanted to relax for a while. He walked lazily into Ash's room while rubbing his eyes and yawning. He then stopped when he saw Pikachu shaking Ash's body, which was lying on the floor with his eyes glowing a bright blue and not showing any sign of life.

Xavier felt a burst of adrenaline rush through his systems. He sprinted towards Ash's body which had just managed to slip past the balcony outside. He slid down and yelled. "Oh shit! Oh shit!" Ash was definitely unmoving. Xavier felt for a pulse and felt a steady but slow thumping. He tapped the watch on his right wrist and spoke into it. "Calling all elites, I repeat, calling all elites. This is Xavier Blackmon, specialist of fire-type users. I need all elites to report to Champion Ghost's chambers immediately; this is not a drill. Report to Ghost's chambers immediately." He hung up and swiftly asked Charizard. "Did you just get back from doing something?"

Charizard nodded. He stayed on one knee next to Ash and it was only another moment before Zandra was standing in the doorframe. She screamed. "Oh god!" July was right behind her and they both rushed in. Xavier explained. "Pikachu motioned for me to follow him and when I did he led me right here, Ash was already on the floor." July was already speaking, almost completely missing Xavier's words as a whole. "Pick him up and move him to the bed, now." The three of them hoisted their champion onto his rather large king-sized bed and July worriedly said.

"I've never seen him like this before. His eyes are all out of sorts, it's almost like he's being controlled."

Zandra murmured. "That makes two of us…"

Xavier, suddenly becoming the perceptive one of the bunch, spoke aloud. "Where the hell is Axel? I thought for sure he'd be here by now…"

"I'm right here." A voice said. The trio turned to see Axel walking towards them with a spring in his step, and accompanied by Lusamine and a banged up Kiawe, who most definitely had seen better days. Kiawe noticed the looks he was getting and sheepishly said. "So I got a little bruised… what?" The group shared the grimmest of smiles before turning back to Ash, who was still seemingly frozen in time. It was frightening to behold, but what was even more worrisome was that nobody knew _why _this was happening.

Everyone but one person. "I have a theory." The eldest person there said as calmly as she could. The eyes of all the people in the room flew to Lusamine, who had spoken up. "We all know Ash's _standard _eye color is Brown, Auburn, to be exact." Kiawé suddenly asked. "How is it that Ash can change his eye color? I never understood how he was able to do that!" Lusamine answered with a slight smile on her face. "One of Aether Paradise's more "out-of-the-way" inventions, various contacts that, instead of enhancing vision, change the eye color of the wearer. It's quite ingenious if you ask me." Lusamine smiled happily. **(AN: Hey, I told you all I would finally tell you how he changes his eye color!)**

Lusamine continued. "Back on topic, I believe that Delveon is connected with Ash's mind."

His elites gasped in surprise. "Wh-what do you mean? He _is _going to come back, right?" Zandra said, fear coloring her voice. Lusamine nodded. "I believe so. The catch of it is _when._ You see, as Sylveon's have a way of connecting with their Trainer's in a certain way, but, if my theory is correct…"

She hesitated. "I believe Delveon has _literally _connected it's mind with Ash's." Axel's eyes widened. "Then what will happen if we release Delveon from its beast ball?" Lusamine shook her head. "I don't want to find out. So, we're not going to find out. If this is some sort of trick, we'll need Ash up and rested to battle it again. Delveon is no joke when it comes to battling, it's one of the fiercest battlers ever."

July turned to the blonde woman. "Then what can we do?"

"Wait. With luck, he'll awake in not too long. I don't know what exactly is happening to him, but when he awakes, we must be ready."

_Dream State… Ash… _

Ash slowly opened his eyes and found himself standing on an island. The island was grassy and somewhat full of hills. He looked another way and spotted rolling plains. He looked one way and saw a stream of water. Deciding to try and get on top of the hill, he began sprinting to the top to try and figure out where the hell he was. The moment he got to the top, he closed his eyes and wiped the tiny amount of sweat that was formed on his forehead. Then, he blinked and saw that everything had changed.

It was now a vast desert. There were pyramids in the far distance, and no water or grass was even in sight. He looked down and saw that the grass beneath his feet had also turned into soft sand. He frowned. What was going on?

"Delveee…" Ash whirled around and saw Delveon standing there calmly, it's bright blue eyes glowing but its face impassive. Ash questioned. "What exactly am I doing here?" Delveon remained eerily quiet. Ash tried again. "Is there a reason you've brought me here?" Delveon did react this time: with a single and simple nod. Ash frowned; the lack of reactions was getting to him.

He was about to question further when all of the sudden his entire world changed. He saw that only he and Delveon appeared to be at present time. The scenery flashed again and again until finally it came to a halt at a picture of what seemed to be a royal throne of some sort. The walls themselves were made of gold, and the entire architecture was staggering. It was only then that he noticed a Pokémon sitting on a large mound of gold. It was not a chair, oddly enough, considering the rest of the layout.

He walked closer and saw it was a Ninetales, frozen in time, just like the rest of the Delveon that were—

Ash halted his train of thought there. He stared at the Pokémon with wide eyes. There were many of the Pokémon there, all seemingly the same: golden fur, bright blue eyes, rainbow colored gem on its forehead. They were all scattered around the Ninetales, seemingly receiving praise from the fox. There were at least ten of them just in the room, but it made no sense on _why _there were so many here! They were all supposed to be gone, swept away by the horrors that occurred over the territorial dispute—

And for the second time in a very short time, Ash paled and stopped his train of thought. This was a flashback of the waning moments before the Delveon species became extinct, or more accurately, _seemingly _extinct in the eyes of the public, and would become all but lost in time. He noticed the rather sad and far-away look in Delveon's eyes. 

Delveon walked over slowly over to a Delveon that stood right next to the Ninetales. It was standing at firm attention and seemed to be the pack leader of all the Delveon. Ash noticed Delveon staring at this particular one with peaked curiosity.

"Do you know that Delveon?" He asked the sun-Pokémon. Delveon nodded slowly and Ash somehow knew exactly what the answer was. He said quietly. "That was you… wasn't it…" Delveon nodded solemnly. Then, the picture once again vanished and reappeared, and Ash couldn't help his reaction. He nearly retched.

The room that had once shown so much elegance was now one that commonly resembled a warzone. What's more, was that the Delveon appeared to have been slaughtered. Many lay limply in the royal room. Ninetales, staying true with the legend, was nowhere to be found. Ash was unsure of which Delveon was this particular one. As he turned to the sun-type, his eyes widened a little when he saw Delveon lying on the ground, head in between its paws. It was crying softly, much to Ash's horror. He knelt beside the fallen Pokémon and murmured. "It's… It's alright…" What else could he say? _'Everything is going to be okay…' _Ash almost scoffed at his own hypothetical answer; all its friends had been massacred and he could say was "Everything is going to be okay?"

But there was one thing that was still bothering him. He carefully placed a hand on Delveon's back and murmured while staring at it. "I… I still want to know why you've taken me here Delveon…" 

"_Because I asked her to." _Ash turned his head upwards and felt his heart nearly stop completely. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There, in front of him, was a giant white Pokémon that appeared to be the size of a five story building. It's red eyes were shining brightly and golden objects clinging onto its stomach. Ash wasn't sure how long he had been staring at the Pokémon before he finally uttered out.

"Wh-wh-wha…" The Pokémon actually chuckled aloud when it heard Ash's dumbstruck reaction. The Pokémon said. _"I will admit,_ _that was not the reaction I was expecting from my chosen one." _

In his stunned state, Ash did not even hear the ending of Arceus' sentence. He saw Delveon get up and stand next to Arceus and Ash managed to get out. "S-so… _you _asked her to take me to here? Why? Why me? And why… wait it's a she?" Delveon hmphed and turned her head away from Ash in annoyance. Arceus spoke. _"Yes, my child is a she. She is also the last of her species, and is in desperate need."_

Ash blinked. "Desperate Need? Of what?"

Ash wasn't so sure, but he could've sworn he saw Arceus smile. "A leader." Ash blinked again. "A-A leader? But didn't it's last uh… _leader _not work out so well? What kind of Pokémon do I need to search for…?" Arceus chuckled. _"When did I say it was a Pokémon that was needed?" _

Ash frowned. "I thought you just said that—" 

"_That Delveon needs a leader. Yes, that's what I said. Think about that sentence more, chosen one." _Arceus explained. Ash still wasn't catching onto Arceus' true meaning, but he did catch onto what Arceus said before that he missed. He raised an eyebrow. "Chosen One? Me?" Arceus frowned a little. _"Don't you remember?" _

Ash said. "I don't remember what?" Arceus' mind was reeling rapidly, how could this happen? Unless Ash had no idea what actually happened and legitimately forgot. Arceus questioned him as calmly as he could. _"My Chosen One, do you remember my final words to you upon our last meeting…?" _

Ash was frozen for a moment or two. He racked his brain desperately before Arceus. Arceus' worst fears had become realized. His chosen one was suffering from an illness called Amnesia. But why? How could he have amnesia about certain situations. After rapidly thinking, Arceus began to ask Ash questions about his past to determine what had been affected: Battle Frontier victories, legendary Pokémon sightings, Gym battles, every Pokémon he had ever caught, the betrayal, etc.

However, after some decent questioning with Delveon listening contently, Arceus came to the conclusion that Ash was only missing memories of the times he and Ash previously talked, most specifically, when he met Ash in person many, many years ago. It was a bit confusing though, why were only those specific memories affected? Arceus pushed it from his mind for the moment, though, and tried to focus on something else equally important: figuring out _why _he was suffering from these effects.

However, the all-knowing Pokémon already was fairly certain what the cause was of this: the betrayal of his so called friends. The legendary scowled. Only kids as stupid as them would betray the one he had deemed the Chosen One. He would make them pay, no matter the cost. It was part of the reason he was here, in dream form, talking to Ash. How could they all possibly do this to the poor boy?

Arceus decided to finally just cut to the chase. _"Ashura… I must talk to you about something very important." _

Ash watched the legendary expectantly. The most-powerful Pokémon in the world spoke. _"It has come to my attention that one of my children mistakenly took you for an enemy and attacked. You see, you two may not share the same bodies, but you do share similar experiences. Both of you have suffered loss… betrayal… heartbreak… and most importantly…. Pain. She attacked you but as she did, she saw the greatness in you, the potential you have, and of course, the same painful experiences. It was then that she called me here to talk to you."_

Ash nodded. "So the reason I was feeling so out of it was because I was being mentally called by you?" Arceus nodded. Ash continued. "I suppose that explains why I couldn't handle your power; you _are _the most powerful Pokémon to exist after all."

Arceus frowned. _"Then why is it that I feel something still troubles you, Chosen One?" _

Ash looked at Delveon. "Why is it that I'm here? What does "Find a Leader" mean? How am I supposed to find Delveon a leader that fits its needs?"

To Ash's surprise, Arceus actually began laughing at him. Ash spluttered. "W-what's so f-funny…" Arceus finished and said with a small chuckle. _"Chosen One, you are not meant to FIND a leader…"_

Arceus paused and said. _"You are meant to BE a leader."_

Ash's mind didn't register it for a few moments before all of the sudden, his heart stopped beating entirely. He stared at the God-Pokémon with incredulous eyes. Ash said as evenly as he could. "J-Just to reiterate, you're saying, if I understand you correctly… you want _ME _to be Delveon's _TRAINER?_"

Arceus simply nodded. Ash stayed quiet, pondering this choice that Arceus had given him. On one hand, he could see why Arceus believed he was worthy: they both had tortured and tormented pasts that involved some kind of betrayal, they both possessed potential and power that could be used for good, etc. But at the same time, did Arceus only want him to train Delveon because he was the chosen one, and their mutual betrayals fit Ash and Delveon perfectly? Was it a scheme of some sort by the god-Pokémon?

After Arceus had talked to him for some time about the possibility of Amnesia, Ash had to agree that it was at least _possible _that Arceus was telling the truth. After all, what did the white-Pokémon have to gain from lying to him? Ash's mind slipped in a few results like 'Money', 'Power', or 'A Bargaining Chip.' But Ash felt as though, at least until proven otherwise, he should trust the mythical being.

"I… Does Delveon want this?" Ash questioned after some time.

To answer that, Delveon walked up and rubbed up against Ash's leg. That answered that question. Suddenly, the image of the slaughter of Delveon vanished and was replaced by a vision of… _Himself! _It was him, lying in bed and eyes glowing a bright blue. He saw his elites, Lusamine, and Kiawé all standing around his bed and looking very worried. He saw July crying silently on Axel's shoulder. Then, he took notice of a girl crying on his form. His breath silently hitched.

It was May. Why was she there though? How long had he been knocked out for? Arceus said aloud. _"It seems as though… my chosen one… that you are required to go back to your world. Remember… My Chosen… that you must not forget those who betrayed you. You must not forget to seek out old friends should times get tough and this is the most important thing to remember: Before using and wielding new potential, remember to test and discover this potential." _

Ash opened his mouth to ask what "potential" Arceus was talking about, and the God-Pokémon simply smiled. _"You will see what I am talking about, young one. This is not the last time you shall hear from me, My Chosen." _

Ash covered his eyes as a bright light began to momentarily blind him. Arceus spoke its final words to him. _"Good Luck, Ashura Ketchum, I shall be watching you from above…" _

_Ash's Bedroom Chamber…_

The room itself was an interesting one. While most elites had their general "Style" to their rooms, Ash was not normal or general when it came to decorating. His room was essentially the size of three chambers, each one the size of a giant circle (**AN: It kind of looks like a Venn Diagram if it had three circles, if you get my idea.) **The door and entrance to the chamber was in the center circle.

In the left circle was his personal training section. There was a small pool, battlefield, and even a gym there. It was in this area that his elites could constantly find Ash early in the morning. Each circle was seemingly the size of a story of a small building. His entire league, naturally, was giant, so there was space to work with. In his center circle was his "private" bedroom that was essentially right as you walked in. Ash usually just flopped down on his bed and passed out if he really felt like it. It also had a rather large flat screen television on the wall directly in front of him.

Meanwhile, he also had smaller beds in the rooms that were meant for his faithful Pokémon that were small enough to sleep on the beds. He also had a desk and various contraptions that he would occasionally ask Clemont for help with. In the far right circle was his Balcony and "Business" section. On the Balcony, he could see ALT City perfectly from the view, and if anything was happening, he would know and could easily lend help to the villagers from there. He also had a television set that featured every single region's main news channel at once to see if anything notable or catastrophic was happening. He also smartly decided to purchase a PC device that would allow him to easily swap Pokémon at will.

However, nobody was in either the left or right room at this point: they were all standing over Ash's bed looking very forlorn. It was heartbreaking to see for the group of people, but Ash had been passed out for three _days, _and had yet to wake up. His matchup with Barry had been postponed. Thankfully for him, since he was the champion of a region and he was the host region, Axel had been able to schedule it while claiming Ghost was "off defending Alola from a extraterrestrial threat," and would return as soon as he could.

May had immediately come to them in question why Ghost wasn't battling, and they had brought her to him. She had refused to leave his side since, and it had been over a day now, and still Ash hadn't moved a muscle. Axel was slightly debating telling the poor girl about Ghost's true identity, but eventually had decided against it. She was crying over him softly and Xavier muttered. "When are we going to finally tell her what's really up…"

Zandra shook her head. "That's for Ghost to tell. Not us."

July nodded sadly and leaned her head on Axel's shoulder. Axel spoke aloud. "Alright everyone, that's enough for now. Let's leave Ghost to his privacy. You too May, it's time to go." She whimpered. "But he needs support!"

Axel shook his head and motioned for her to follow. She sighed sadly and tore her head away from Ghost for just one moment. She pushed herself off the bed, feeling more sad and depressed than ever. What was happening to her newfound boyfriend? She was the last one to leave the room, but just as she was exiting the doorframe, she heard someone say from inside the room in a raspy voice.

"H-hey! Where's everyone going! I'm not dead ye—" The person didn't get to finish his sentence before a gorgeous brunette flung herself at him, tears streaming down her cheeks. She cried. "G-ghost!" Ash chuckled and held her with one arm. "Hey… Hey I'm here now…" The rest of the crew filtered back into the room and Kiawé placed an arm on Ash's shoulder. "How you holding up there Ghost?"

May softly sniffed. "They told me what happened with the Ultra Beast… they explained the entire thing with them… what are you going to do with Delveon?" She asked, fear in her voice. Ash paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to break the news. A grin appeared on his face and politely asked to see the pokeball containing Delveon. Lusamine slowly handed it over, curious to what Ghost was planning.

He smirked and said aloud. "Why don't you talk to her yourself?" The whole room seemed to move in slow motion as Ash opened up the pokeball, or more accurately, the beast ball. Delveon let out a trill when it was released, and nobody in the room moved an inch. Axel's arm was over July, ready to protect her if the time came. Xavier had an eyebrow raised in challenge towards his leader. Zandra looked indifferent by the gesture.

Lusamine shakily said. "G-Ghost… what are you doing…"

Ash looked at Delveon, who nodded in understanding. Then, in his bare hand, he crushed the beast ball. Everyone stood back and watched as Ash casually reached behind him and felt what he was looking for on the backside of his Pokémon belt: a spare. He unclipped it and held it out to Delveon. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they saw what he was doing.

Ash grinned. "So Delveon, do you want to come with me?" He held the ball out further so that it was not too far from the golden Eeveeolution. The Pokémon slowly walked up to it and tapped the ball on its forehead. "Delveee!" It said happily before being sucked into the ball in Ash's hand. It shook for a few moments before snapping shut. He cheerfully reopened the pokeball and Delveon trilled happily before lying down on the bed next to Ash, who did not seem at all bothered by it. He turned to the group who had a mix of awestruck reactions.

Ash cheerfully said. "I'm guessing everyone has some questions?"

The room's silence confirmed his thoughts. Ash chuckled aloud. "Well since we got time to kill, let's get started then, shall we?"

**AN: Welllllll the Chapter is FINALLY Done! It only took me forever, but it's finally out. For those who have been waiting patiently, I hope you enjoyed the 9k word chapter. For those wondering why it took me forever to get this out, I shall explain now. Other than the fact that I am in college, I've had two periods of time that I've just been completely unable to type due to trips that I've been taking.**

**I took a trip back to my home in Pennsylvania for 4 days before coming back to catch up on missed work. Then, I left again for a 4 day trip to go to Detroit, Michigan to see the Lions play the Minnesota Vikings. I then came back and caught up on all the work I had next, and now I'm preparing for another round of exams.**

**Life is still coming at my fast and I'm trying to keep up with it all. I don't know how often I can post in all honesty. I try my best to post as often as I can but this one just slipped away from me. Imma try and keep it more consistent from now on everybody, so thanks for sticking around thus far.**

**If you are new, please follow and favorite the story. It would mean a ton to me! Also, one final thing, if I haven't responded to you on Fanfiction or PM, I'm trying to catch up as swiftly as I can, hang in there guys. **

**Hope ya'll enjoyed, till next time!**

**LegionZ**


	15. Even the Score

**Hey ya'll! Hope you guys are having a great day! LegionZ is here giving you Chapter 15 of The Chosen One's Wrath! If you guys are new to this story, please make sure you follow and favorite this story to show your support! It's greatly appreciated, as always! Now, shall we talk?**

**For this chapter, I'm expecting it to be absolutely massive. I'm gambling that it's going to be 10,000+ words because this chapter will be two big parts. I'm expecting one to be involving the traitors, and the second one will have the third battle of the story in the tournament. It will be Ash vs Barry, a rematch of the battle in Sinnoh. It's going to be very interesting to see what happens, after all, Ash has acquired Delveon. The question is, will he use her? It's time to find out.**

**Also, I've been getting a lot of questions about when I'm going to have Ash reveal himself to May, and to be honest I don't really know when I'm going to do it. It could be next chapter, hell it could be this chapter. I haven't made an executive decision yet, and it's probably going to stay like that. Got no intentions of revealing yet, but I guess anything is possible.**

**That's all I got guys; hope you enjoy! **

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 15**

_Last Chapter…_

_The two attacks, primed by their trainer's words, unleashed their attacks. While split up they would likely be repelled, Ash's theory was that if they combined, Delveon's Aegis Defense wouldn't be able to stop it. Mathematically, at least, it made sense. Delveon let out a cry when the swirling beam of fire and electricity connected with its feelers. After a moment, it let out another, its defense giving way._

_Lana had been correct. While his mind was on his blue-haired ally, his eyes darted backwards to see her still lying on the ground in obvious pain. But then, he was able to notice a helicopter or two in the distance, coming their way. Ash could make out a figure in the chopper with a mass of blonde hair streaming behind them. Then, he glimpsed something shining brightly through the air and sailing right towards him. He knew what it was. Ash yelled. _

_"Pikachu! You know what to do!"  
_

"_Pika Pi!" His partner cried out before charging towards the shining object. Just before it was about to hit the ground, his partner swung its tail around in a circular motion and smacked the object to Ash through the air. Ash leapt up and grabbed the dark blue sphere: a beast ball. He felt his feet hit the soft sand once more, and knowing exactly where Delveon was, he threw it. Delveon, who was still lying on the ground through the smoke and sand, didn't have any time to try and move. The ball connected with it and sucked it in. _

_Ash sprinted through the smoke, determined to not let Delveon out of his sight. If this beast ball failed, he would have to wait for more; catching it in a standard pokeball was risky, to put it lightly. The ball shook slowly back and forth for a moment. One moment turned into another moment, and then another, then another. _

_Pikachu and Infernape stayed by Ash's side, awaiting orders should they be needed. The ball continued to shake, and the tension in the area continued to rise. Then, it finally happened._

_The ball snapped, stars appearing out of it. Ash fell down in pure relief; it was finally over._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_To Ash's surprise, Arceus actually began laughing at him. Ash spluttered. "W-what's so f-funny…" Arceus finished and said with a small chuckle. "Chosen One, you are not meant to FIND a leader…"_

_Arceus paused and said. "You are meant to BE a leader."_

_Ash's mind didn't register it for a few moments before all of the sudden, his heart stopped beating entirely. He stared at the God-Pokémon with incredulous eyes. Ash said as evenly as he could. "J-Just to reiterate, you're saying, if I understand you correctly… you want ME to be Delveon's TRAINER?"_

_Arceus simply nodded._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_May softly sniffed. "They told me what happened with the Ultra Beast… they explained the entire thing with them… what are you going to do with Delveon?" She asked, fear in her voice. Ash paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to break the news. A grin appeared on his face and politely asked to see the pokeball containing Delveon. Lusamine slowly handed it over, curious to what Ghost was planning. _

_He smirked and said aloud. "Why don't you talk to her yourself?" The whole room seemed to move in slow motion as Ash opened up the pokeball, or more accurately, the beast ball. Delveon let out a trill when it was released, and nobody in the room moved an inch. Axel's arm was over July, ready to protect her if the time came. Xavier had an eyebrow raised in challenge towards his leader. Zandra looked indifferent by the gesture._

_Lusamine shakily said. "G-Ghost… what are you doing…"_

_Ash looked at Delveon, who nodded in understanding. Then, in his bare hand, he crushed the beast ball. Everyone stood back and watched as Ash casually reached behind him and felt what he was looking for on the backside of his Pokémon belt: a spare. He unclipped it and held it out to Delveon. Everyone's eyes widened in shock as they saw what he was doing. _

_Ash grinned. "So Delveon, do you want to come with me?" He held the ball out further so that it was not too far from the golden Eeveeolution. The Pokémon slowly walked up to it and tapped the ball on its forehead. "Delveee!" It said happily before being sucked into the ball in Ash's hand. It shook for a few moments before snapping shut._

_Present…_

"…What the _HELL _are we going to do!?" A voice blurted out in horror.

A group of people was exchanging fearful glances and terrified words. Unsurprisingly, when you stole a Pokémon or two, you shouldn't expect to get away with it. Of course, the traitors also forgot that this was Ghost's region that they were talking about. He pretty much ate criminals and thieves for breakfast. The traitors were now desperately thinking of a way to not get arrested while still competing in the tournament.

Misty said fearfully. "I'm pretty sure that's everyone's question right now."

Max shook his head rapidly. "No way can I get arrested for this! There's no way!"

Bonnie tried to calm her boyfriend down. "Babe, it's okay. It's not like they have proof or anything we did it, right?"

Trip frowned. "It's our word against Ghost's. And Winchine's too. There are definitely issues with this whole situation. But the good news is for some of us is that while some of us may get caught, not _all _of us stole Pokémon. So, if they get imprisoned in Alola, as long as we become champion, we can release the person who gets caught."

Misty's eyes lit up. "That's true! All we have to do is guarantee ourselves a win! That shouldn't be too hard!"

Trip pointed out grimly. "I wouldn't be so confident babe. Look at our competition. Abel is in Max's Division, so it means Max will have to upset Abel if he wants to make it in. I won't lie, I think myself and Ghost in the finals is our best bet to conquer the tournament. Bonnie is in Zandra Polisik's bracket: the Giratina Bracket. Cilan is already out. Misty is in Zandra's division, the Fairy-Type elite, and something tells me that after that whole situation at _TPS… _I don't think she'll go easy on you, Misty."

The room was silent for a moment before Max broke the silence. Trip continued. "The main competition in each Bracket, as I see it, goes something like this: In the Zekrom division, we don't have anyone who can stop Ghost that is directly allied with us. Our three main threats are Ghost, his Electric-type elite Axel, and champion Cynthia. The winner of the Zekrom division will battle it off against the winner of the Arceus bracket. Max is in the Arceus Bracket, so we're pushing for him to keep winning battles, and upset Ghost in the semi-finals if what I'm predicting should happen. His main compeition in the Arceus Bracket is July Ruftulis and of course, Abel Winchine. Steven Stone, the Hoenn champion, also has won his battles so far in that Bracket."

Trip wasn't finished. "On the opposing semi-final side we have the Yvetal Bracket. Xavier Blackmon and Malva, the fire type elite hailing for Kalos have been flawless thus far. I'm in that division, so it's no cake-walk. I also have to finish Alder, Unova's champion. Yvetal's winner has to battle Giratinia's winner. As i mentioned before, Bonnie is in that Bracket with Zandra, and of course, there's still the Dragon Master Lance to worry about. I also left out some other names, but those are the ones that are standing out the most as of right now." Trip summarized.

After a moment, Max finally spoke. "Hah! Abel is going to get a taste of revenge after I'm through with his team. He won't even know what hit him." The boy boasted arrogantly. Bonnie stroked her boyfriend's cheek and happily said. "That's my man…"

Cilan said aloud. "...Abel Winchine... He is quite the nuisance."

Misty growled. "That kid's too smart for his own good."

Max pointed out. "He's an asshole who just gets lucky when he battles me. That kid deserves to be taught a lesson more than just taking a few of his Pokémon and drugging him."

Iris had the common decency to ask a common question. "Won't everyone expect us to do something to him again since we've already done it once?" Trip shook his head and spoke with the slightest hint of arrogance in his voice. "No. Because our plan already failed once, they probably think we _won't _try it again. That means we could have a clean shot to get Ghost _and _Abel out of this damn tournament."

A chorus of "yeah" and "let's do this" were heard from the room and the traitors began to gain momentum. Max arrogantly said. "Let them come try and arrest us. There's no way they can take us all down!"

"Would you care to wager on that?"

Every head in the room whirled to the doorway, where Ghost was standing with an Officer Jenny, an unrecognizable officer, and Abel Winchine. Almost every face in the room paled when they saw his harsh and cold demeanor: it was the side of Ghost that all his enemies feared to see, his angry, cold, and terrifying one. He looked like he was ready to beat the snot out of any of them in the room. He was frowning and he looked as though he was about to hit his boiling point.

Ghost preyed on their hesitance to speak. "Well… would you?"

Trip was the first one that gained up the confidence to speak. "Whatever do you mean, Ghost?"

Misty smiled confidently. "Yeah, what exactly are you talking about?"

The smile vanished from Misty's face as Ghost's smirk was plastered on his face. "I'm glad you asked. You see, I believe you stole a fellow competitor's Pokémon, and we're only here to confirm the truth."

Max scoffed. "What are you hinting at Ghost?"

Ghost's smirk widened. "You see, I have always believed in the utmost security measures in order to keep peace and tranquility here in Alola." He slowly walked over to a corner of the room. " Measures such as…" He motioned to the wall and pointed up. "Security Camera's." Max's face paled profusely. Misty's eyes widened ever so slightly, but Trip's stance didn't change in the slightest. There in the corner, indeed, was a tiny and nearly unnoticeable camera. Misty suddenly cried out. "Y-you're invading in our privacy!? H-how dare you! I'll be certain to see that you are arrested for unlawful invasion of privacy!" The issue with that statement was simple: a single word.

Ghost smirked. "Did you say _unlawful?_" Misty retorted. "Yes!"

Ghost's smirk only widened. "That means you were unaware that this camera can only be accessed with a certain key and cannot be viewed on any other device without accessing the camera physically, as a whole." Misty paled and Ghost gleefully said. "That would mean the camera hasn't been tampered with in any way, and therefore giving us access to everything and anything we need."

Abel looked to Ghost. "But we don't need to, right?"

Ghost nodded. "Espeon already told me everything I need to know." He motioned to the two officers. He then sighed. "As much as I hate to say this, only one person stole them, and only one person ever had their hands directly _on _the pokeball as well. While I can put all of you on notice for being involved with a crime, if you did not engage in the act then I suppose there's nothing that can be done except arrest the most likely and most certain suspect." The officers grabbed Misty by her arms and she screamed.

"What are you _DOING_!?"

Ghost spoke gravely. "Misty Waterflower, you're being arrested for the possession of stolen Pokémon. You will be held in custody in ALT City Jail until you can receive a trial, in which case, you will be tried and most certainly found guilty. By the powers invested in me as leader and champion of the Alola region, the tournaments host, you are now deemed ineligible to battle. Your spot in this tournament is hereby revoked, the trainer you are going against in this round shall receive a very rare gift: a free pass to the next round. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to remain silent."

Immediately, there was an uproar of anger. Surprisingly enough, the loudest and most obnoxious of them all was Trip. "What the _fuck!? _You can't do that to her! You haven't even looked at the goddamn camera yet!"

Officer Jenny finally spoke. "Are you saying that more than one person is at fault here?"

Trip retorted angrily. "I'm saying none of us are at fault here!"

Ghost scoffed. "Oh? And how do you intend to prove it? We both know looking at the camera would be a waste of time… _yes?" _He looked at Trip with a glint in his eyes, one that made Trip legitimately consider stopping his verbal assault on Ghost. Unfortunately, Max had other plans, as well as Iris.

"That's insane! Misty would never steal Pokémon on her own free will." Iris yelled.

Max added. "Yeah! We were with her all day yesterday!"

Ghost was waving his arm dismissing the two traitors who weren't listening to anything he had been saying. "Officer, pardon if I may, but, haven't you heard me say multiple times that, we have _video evidence _of them inside this room, and that we can legitimately prove what we all know? T-they really aren't the brightest bunch, are they?" While the traitors rage only grew, Officer Jenny had the decency to smile and say.

"Forgive me, sir, but it wouldn't be of my best interest to insult those I'm arresting." Ghost chuckled. "Yes yes, I suppose it would be." The officers began pushing Misty out of the room, wrists now bound by handcuffs. She was wailing loudly. "This is madness! You can't do this to me! You _can't! _I'm a Gym Leader for Arceus' sake!"

Trip tried to get past to give Misty a goodbye kiss. "Babe! W-wait!" Misty struggled against the officers and cried out. "You can't do this to me! Trip! Help!"

Jenny growled as she fought against Misty. "Stop… fighting it!"

Max yelled. "Don't worry Misty! You'll be out soon!"

Ash smirked. "Oh, I doubt that."

Max yelled at Ghost again. "What the hell is your problem with us!"

Ghost's face turned eerily dark before he snarled quietly. "You think I'm just supposed to _like _the fact that you are stealing from fellow competitors? You think that I'm just supposed to _like _that you all are trying to claim my post from me?" Max's eyes bulged open in stunned shock, even Trip looked surprised. Bonnie was looking at Ghost with her mouth ajar in surprise, and Cilan was narrowing his eyes at the champion.

It was Misty, though, that broke the silence. "H-how do you even know about that?!"

Ghost merely smirked. "I know about everything that goes on in my region. Nothing goes by without me knowing it." Seeing the stunned faces of his sworn enemies he only widened his smirk. "Oh you didn't think I wouldn't find out about your plan to win the tournament and overthrow my position as champion? You didn't think I'd find out you plan to illegally induct the rest of your friends as elites?" When nobody said anything, Ghost simply sighed and shook his head.

"You all are poor excuses for trainers. I honestly feel sorry for Pokémon who are stuck with you as their trainers."

Max finally snapped the silence from the traitors. "No we're not! Our Pokémon love—"

Ash smirked widely. "Then why don't you say hello to your old friend?" He opened up a pokeball and _poof! _Out came one blue and yellow, dog-like Pokémon who looked as though Christmas had come early when it saw who it was coming out. The electric-type had a carnal smirk plastered on its face and it barked loudly. "Manaa!"

Max began to incoherently splutter as he watched his former Pokémon stand before him looker stronger than he had ever seen it. Ash looked at Max and said with a grin. "I suppose you can imagine who I'll be using tomorrow in battle. You will be able to see what a truly powerful Pokémon Manectric is, and what _you _were holding back. Just remember that as you watch me tomorrow."

Then, the officers began to drag Misty out of the room, with her screaming the entire way out, fighting and battling against the officers wills. Ash ordered. "Show her no mercy. Let this be used in the court of law. Manectric, escort the officers out." The Pokémon nodded in affirmative and walked alongside Misty, who had stopped struggling almost completely at the sight of the electric type.

Ash then gave the traitors one last stare before he smirked and saw the glares, the looks of anguish, anger, and sorrow. He merely grinned at them cheekily and said sweetly. "I'll see you all soon."

He then turned on his heel and let Abel had his way with them. He had no remorse, he felt nothing whatsoever. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins. He merely smirked widely as he walked away from the room, his spirits heightened to the maximum at the expense of the traitors.

Max snarled under his breath. "Look at that stuck up bastard…"

Trip shook his head in anger. "He'll get what he deserves."

Iris then placed a hand on both of their shoulders, her dark eyes glinting mysteriously. "Don't worry guys, I'm sure he'll get what he deserves."

After all… there was a battle tomorrow with Ghost's name on it.

_The Following Day…_

Ash sat in the pregame locker room with an emotionless expression on his face. It was the same one he wore when he was preparing to wipe the floor with Max and his traitorous group of imbeciles. He quietly pondered what his game strategy would be against Barry. He frowned for a moment. Barry was commonly underestimated by his opponent due to his outrageously aggressive attack strategy.

The problem with Barry's opponents was that even though they recognized Barry's strategy, they were unable to pinpoint the _weakness _of said strategy. Barry would just stay aggressive until his opponent fell, and to be honest, as risky as the tactic was, it worked.

Well, it _did _work… until he would face the Ghost's juggernaut. Ash was unsure of just how many of his Pokémon would fall, but if all went according to plan, he wouldn't have any trouble at all. Someone poked their head into the room. Ash's jaw dropped an inch when he saw who it was.

"Sophocles!" He said, happily surprised to see his orange-haired friend standing there. The boy smiled cheerfully. "Hey there boss!" Ash raised his hand and scolded him with only a hint of legitimate annoyance. "Ghost, not boss."

Sophocles ignored him. "Look, doesn't matter. I'm here to tell you your intro is a go in three minutes."

Ash's eyes bulged open in shock. He said in horror. "What!? You can't be serious!" Sophocles grinned sheepishly. "I'm afraid I am. It's going to be a good time Ghosty, better get your game face on out there."

Ash's face turned emotionless, despite the use of Ghosty by his technological genius. "This _is _my game face."

Sophocles smirked. "What? It doesn't suit your song?"

Ash growled. "No! It does not!"

Sophocles grinned. "Then you shouldn't have told me to use it!"

Ash waved his hands up in exasperation. "I didn't think you'd actually use the damn song!"

Sophocles mimicked Ash's actions, only with a dismissing action more than anything. "Come off it Ghost. It's a great pump up song. You'll be glad you chose it once it's over, just trust me on this."

Ash grumbled. "I just hope you're right Sophocles… why do I have to do this again? Is someone forcing my hand?"

Sophocles grinned yet again. It looked as though if his smile could get wider, it'd go past his ears. "Yep, someone is!"

Ash frowned. "Who?"

Sophocles walked to the door and said cheerfully. "Me!" He then closed it behind him, and Ash heard loudly. _'Attention trainers.. This is your announcer for the match. Green Trainer, please enter the stage. Red Trainer, please enter the walkway and await your cue to enter.' _Ash sighed and proceeded to stand up and look down at his faithful partner, who was looking at him curiously. Ash nodded once, and Pikachu returned willingly to its pokeball as a result. He walked to the other side of the room, where a double door stood. He took a deep breath and pushed on the doors. There was a large tunnel ahead of him. He walked through them and looked to the sides of the tunnels. It was pure concrete. He began walking down the hallway and let the doors slam behind him entirely.

_Elite Box…Stands…_

"And now, introducing the green trainer, hailing from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh Region, give it up for Barrryyy Junnn!" Barry walked out of his tunnel, two cannons on either side of him. They simultaneously went off, loud explosions sounding and sending a rush through everyone in the stadium. Barry cheered loudly for himself, pumping up himself and the crowd at the same time.

The Sinnoh natives began roaring in cheers and applause. The rest of the stadium gave polite cheers and claps. Barry took his position in his trainer box. May blinked, staring down at the spectacle in bewilderment. She was wearing a red shirt and dark grey jeans, along with a red vest and red cap. She had an identical look to how Ghost would appear. She asked Xavier in confusion. "Wait, where's Ghost?"

Xavier merely smirked. "You'll see."

As if on cue, it began. The lights immediately dimmed, and the crowd suddenly began cheering, confusing May entirely. What was going on? She suddenly began to hear people clapping in rhythm. It was an extremely slow clap, maybe once every other second. She joined in the crowd, unsure of what else to do.

Inside the tunnel, when Ash heard the music start, he began walking slowly down the tunnel. He could barely see, but he was listening to the crowd clapping and the music slowly playing. Nobody was singing in it. It was just a consistent beat. He continued to walk slowly, letting the adrenaline pump through him rapidly.

Meanwhile, May was watching the big screen in the stadium. On each main side of the stadium, there was a single big screen. The elite box was positioned on the North side of the stadium, so she was watching the South side screen. She watched as various screens began flashing.

'_Ghost's shaded face'_

'_Cloud of dust hitting the ground'_

'_Ghost getting on one knee next to Zoroark'_

'_Ghost putting on his red vest'_

'_Charizard knocking out it's last opponent' _

May was startled when suddenly, a voice roared across the stadium. "DOWN GOES VENASAUR! IT'S OVER! GHOST IS MOVING ON TO THE THIRD ROUND!" The audience did not stop clapping; the sound had come from the big screens.

Every time the audience would clap, the screen would change to a new short video no more than two seconds long. It was oddly… invigorating. She felt the blood rushing through her, why was this pumping her up so much? Was it the slow and steady music? Was it the audience slowly clapping to the theme of the beat? She was unsure, and she didn't care. She looked and saw Ghost's elites clapping along with her and the rest of the stadium.

Then the audience stopped clapping entirely. The music stopped along with their clapping Then, the big screen changed to two words.

**'Let's Go'**

Then, on the other side of the stadium, the fans chanted something else, May couldn't make out what they had said though. Then, the two words, appeared again.

'**Let's Go'**

She chanted it loudly along with the majority of the people near her. She heard the next word that came from the other side of the stadium.

'**Alo-La' **

The fans on the other side of the field roared back with as much intensity as they could muster. The screen flashed once again, pulling up one word at a time.

'**Let's Go'**

May chanted it with the elites.

'**Alo-La'**

The crowd roared back. This continued for over a minute, the fans getting riled up by the words coming from their own mouths.

Meanwhile, in the tunnel, Ash continued to walk slowly. Inside the concrete tunnel, the sounds of all the fans roaring was captured perfectly. Only more adrenaline continued to pump through his veins. He knew this match would get everyone jazzed up, and he was part of those people; it was pure hype.

Then, all of the sudden, the screen stopped flashing the words, and another song began playing.

'_**Insert Metallica's Enter Sandman'**_

Pure mayhem; that was it. May couldn't even think properly because there was so much noise. She saw everyone jumping around like a bunch of animals. She was shocked to even see the Alola Elite jumping around as well. She began to hop around as well, joining the crowd in their actions.

She wasn't sure why it was so invigorating, but she could feel the blood pumping through her veins as she jumped. The stadium seemed to be going crazy. Then Xavier next to her let out a whoop of exhilaration. It somewhat startled her, but what startled her even more was when the music got even louder as drums began to kick in. She heard the rest of the stadium begin screaming louder in response.

Meanwhile, Ash was now standing at the end of the tunnel. He could make out that the entire stadium was going bonkers. He was nodding slowly, trying to get himself hyped up. Closing his eyes, he banged himself twice on the chest, getting himself riled up. Then, the guitar began to kick in and he knew it was nearly time to go. He then got on one knee, despite the adrenaline and blood running through his veins.

He murmured under his breath. "_Let it begin…_"

He then pushed himself up and as if on cue, smoke began filling the entrance to the stadium. He heard the guitar still playing and the crowd still roaring as though their lives depended on it. He could feel the goosebumps still running down his spine, sending chills to his entire body. But then, it was time. He heard the moment in which he was supposed to enter field. He stood at the entrance and just as the climax of the song hit, he stepped out.

The noise was deafening. Hitting the prime spot of the song, he walked out emotionlessly, his cool demeanor still his calling card. He heard the announcer roar "HAILING FROM ALOLA, GIVE IT UP FOR THE CHAMPION HIMSELF… GHOOOOSTTT!" The crowd was roaring and cheering for him. Fireworks were being fired off as he walked forward. They exploded up in the sky, sending more chills through the crowd and battlers alike. After another moment, the music cut off and Ash walked to his side of the field. The crowd was still going bonkers. He spotted Barry looking oddly shaken, he looked as though the music had honestly shattered his confidence.

Ash silently grinned. '_Perhaps that intro isn't exactly the worst idea ever…'_

After he was situated, the referee yelled. "This is a matchup between Barry Jun of Twinleaf Town and the Ghost, from the Alola region! This battle will be a three on three with no substitutions allowed until one Pokémon is knocked out. Then, and only then, may a Pokémon be swapped on either side! This battle will be over when all three Pokémon from one side are unable to continue. Is green trainer ready?"

Barry, who had seemingly regained his confidence, yelled. "I'm ready!"

The referee yelled through the cool night. "Red trainer, are you ready?"

Ghost nodded once. The referee nodded as well in understanding. He raised both flags and yelled. "Battle begin!"

Barry didn't waste any time. "Ghost if you don't give me a good battle, I'll fine you big time! Alright Skarmory, let's get going!" The steel bird appeared out of the pokeball and trilled its name loudly. Ash frowned a little. He decided that perhaps it was time to unleash one of his most powerful Pokémon. He said calmly. "Pikachu, I need your assistance."

His faithful electric type sprinted out from behind him and squeaked happily at finally having an opportunity to battle. The referee shouted loudly. "Begin!"

Barry cried out. "Alright Skarmory! Let's start with Spikes!" Ash raised an eyebrow. He knew that spikes was a ground type move, but with Pikachu's power, he had an idea of what to do. "Pikachu, use a max powered thunderbolt! Fry those spikes!" Pikachu jumped up and cried out loudly. "PIKKAA CHUUUU!" Barry laughed. "Ghost! You should know that spikes is a—" He was frozen mid-sentence as the titanic bolt of lightning actually fried the spikes, causing the crowd to roar in shock.

"H-how!?" He cried in surprise. Ash merely smirked. "Pikachu, run at Skarmory now." Pikachu nodded and ran at Skarmory, gaining speed. Barry wasn't having any of it. "Not so fast Ghost! Skarmory, fly up to avoid whatever that Pikachu is going to try on us!" The steel-flying type bird took to the skies and Ash ordered. "Jump up and hit it with Electro Ball."

The electric type move came in hot, but Barry had a plan. He yelled triumphantly. "Use Steel Wing to smack it back, then unleash a flash cannon!" To Ash's legitimate surprise, the attack was batted back at his faithful partner, who elegantly dodged the move, but was unable to evade the silver blast that came right after.

Ash frowned. Barry wouldn't let Ghost call out another move. "Skarmory, hit it again with Flash Cannon, max power!" The blast was unleashed at Pikachu, and Ash's brain racked itself for an idea. Thankfully, it came. "Let's use their tactic! Use Iron Tail as a deflection strategy!"

Pikachu leapt up and with its tail a shiny silver, it deflected the blast back at Skarmory, who looked very surprised that its own tactic was being used against it. It nimbly dodged the attack. Barry was raging loudly. "Ghost how _could _you!? I'll fine you BIG TIME for using my own strategy against me, mark my words!" He yelled and pointed at Pikachu. "Hit it by using Swift!" Skarmory trilled loudly before unleashed a torrent of stars at it's opponent.

Ash's eyes widened as a strategy came to him. However, it would not work at this exact moment. He ordered to his faithful electric type. "Pikachu, evade it and try to get close to Skarmory without leaving the ground!" His partner looked back in bewilderment. "Pika?"

"Just trust me buddy!" Ash called to his partner.

Pikachu nodded before sprinting at the swift, avoiding it by slipping by nimbly. Then, it began rushing towards Skarmory while still on the ground. Barry yelled while pointing at Pikachu. "Get it Skarmory, use Steel Wing!" Being directly under Skarmory, Pikachu looked like a sitting duck for Skarmory, who was flying downwards at breakneck speed. The crowd gasped, thinking that this was the end for Pikachu.

Ash yelled. "Fall back Pikachu!"

Pikachu began retreating backwards, and Skarmory pursued with increasing speed. Pikachu cast a swift look behind it to see Skarmory nearly about to connect with it. Ash roared in a triumphant voice.

"NOW! Grass Knot!" In midstride, Pikachu closed its eyes, focusing on unleashing a torrent of plants from the Earth. The plants then began bursting out of the ground and latching onto Skarmory's wings and body, causing it to panic. One then connected with Skarmory's body, and it was pulled to the ground with a loud bang. Skarmory rolled forward, completely devasted by the multiple plants and various amounts of grass attacking it. Ash grinned, knowing his plan had worked. He knew knocking Skarmory out of the sky with electric type moves would be risky and difficult, but if he could lure in Skarmory by giving it a wide and open opportunity to strike down Pikachu. By running inward, Skarmory had been given a golden chance to strike, but with an odd move choice such as Grass Knot, it had no time to predict or evade it.

But Ash was far from over. "Smash it with Thunderbolt into an Electro Ball!" Barry cried out. "Skarmory, quick, get up and get out of there quick!" It was too late though. The two electric attacks sped towards Skarmory in rapid succession. Thunderbolt connected first, then Electro Ball smashed into the body of Skarmory, earning two direct hits. However, despite the moves being Super-Effective, Skarmory was clearly battle conditioned. It was able to push itself up, but not without some trouble.

Barry gritted his teeth together tightly. This Pikachu would most definitely be an issue. He yelled. "Alright Skarmory, let's get down to work! Fly up and let's stay away from that Pikachu! Use Flash Cannon from afar!" Skarmory trilled and flew backwards, preparing to unleash the attack. After a second, it unleashed the blast towards its electric type opponent. Ash wouldn't have any of it.

"Side step." Pikachu moved out of the way of the blast, and it connected harmlessly to the ground. Barry ordered. "Again!"

Ash simply stated. "Evade."

The blast once more missed, but this time, Ash called out. "Thunderbolt!"

Barry yelled. "Dodge it Skarmory!" As Skarmory flew low to avoid the blast, Ash called out a trump card. "Triple Electro Ball Attack, Straight Up!" Barry blinked in bewilderment. "Huh?" Three balls of electricity were hurled up in the air one at a time. Barry yelled, unwavering. "Skarmory, unleash Flash Cannon!"

Ash grinned. This battle was over. He waved his hand downwards and yelled. "Climb the Electro Balls with Iron Tail to evade!" In fluid motions, Pikachu jumped from Electro Ball to Electro ball using it's Iron Tail attack, and propelled itself high into the sky. Connecting with the last one, Ash roared. "Now! One final Electro Ball! Strike down Skarmory!"

Barry was too stricken by surprise to even counter the attack. However, the attack had come in so fast that Skarmory likely wouldn't have even had a chance to evade it. The explosion sounded and smoke covered the sky on the field. A figure could be seen sailing down through the smoke and hitting the ground in front of Barry with a very loud _THUD, _and it created a cloud of dust. When the dust cleared, Skarmory was seen with its mouth slightly ajar, extremely knocked out. The referee raised his flag.

"Skarmory is unable to battle, Pikachu wins!" The crowd let out a roar of cheers and applause. Barry grumbled but returned Skarmory with small praise. Ghost was truly the battler that everyone said he was. Taking out another pokeball, he yelled. "Alright then Hitmonlee, let's get going!"

The brown fighting type Pokémon let out a cry of determination as it entered the fray. Ash calmly stated. "I'll be returning Pikachu." His partner ran back to his side before Ash returned it. Ash almost grinned at the very reluctant look on Pikachu's face, knowing it was about to get sucked into its pokeball. Ash clipped the ball to his belt and tossed another in the air. "Heracross, I need your assistance." The bug-fighting type took the field next, letting out a loud cry of dominance, ready to battle.

"Continue the Battle!"

_Ash's Elite Box…_

"So far, so good." Axel said while nodding. July pointed out. "He's using odd tactics to knock off Barry. He knows how Barry operates, and he's using that to his full advantage. If Ghost keeps this up, he should be good."

"Actually, I don't think he will." Xavier said aloud, surprising everyone there.

"Huh?" Axel questioned his friend.

Xavier explained. "I've looked over Barry's battle tape too. I think Ghost is going to change his style of attack on this battle."

Zandra shook her head. "But why? If his style worked so well before, why would he change it now?"

Xavier smirked a little. "You'll see."

_Battlefield…_

Barry shouted. "Alright then Hitmonlee, let's use Blaze kick to start!" Ash silently grimaced, this was going to be a rough fight considering type disadvantages that he knew he would have to fight through. Still though, if everything went according to his plan, Hitmonlee would be out for the count relatively shortly.

"Heracross, evade." The giant bug leaned to the right and the fiery foot of Hitmonlee sailed by it harmlessly. Ash ordered loudly. "Now, use Mega Horn!" After pegging Hitmonlee with one single hit, Barry yelled. "Sucker Punch into a Blaze Kick!"

The sudden dark type move startled Heracross, and then it was thrown backwards by the fire type attack. Barry decided to end the fight right then and there. "Stone Edge!" The crowd gasped as Heracross was pegged by hundreds of tiny rocks at once. Ash frowned. He knew that what he was doing was extremely risky, but he decided to let Barry have some momentum. After all, if everything went well, that very same momentum would be gone in mere moments. After the cloud of smoke vanished from the stone edge, it revealed a damaged Heracross.

_Ash's Elite Box…_

"Was his plan to get massacred by Barry's second Pokémon?" Axel said accusingly at Xavier, who had an unreadable expression on his face. May dejectedly said. "Doesn't look like Ghost is winning this fight…"

July kept the heat on poor Xavier coming. "This clearly isn't a working strategy. Unless his plan is simply to absorb all the damage Xavier, you need to reconsider what is supposed to be a "good strategy."

"Will you idiots can it? Ghost is winning this battle because you guys can't see he's deliberately taking all that damage." Zandra spoke up for the first time in some bit. Xavier chuckled. "You shouldn't have said anything, it would've been comedy gold when they get wind of Ghost's strategy."

Axel shook his head. "Okay, what the hell am I missing?"

Xavier laughed. "Like I said, you'll see."

_Battlefield…_

"Heracross, can you continue?" Ash questioned his Pokémon. Heracross gave a nod, signaling it could continue. Ash nodded in return and ordered. "Prepare yourself."

Barry yelled. "Hate to end this battle so soon, but I think it's time I even the score! Use High Jump Kick! Don't miss!" Hitmonlee charged Heracross, prepared to end the battle right then and there. The problem was, though, was that even though yes, the battle was about to end, it was going to end for the wrong side.

"Endure!" Ash yelled the exact moment Hitmonlee was about to hit Heracross. Heracross closed its eyes and felt the leg nearly knock it out, but it just was able to hold its focus. Ash roared in response. "_Counter!" _

The crowd's loud gasp could be heard all over when they heard the command. Heracross smirked at its opponent and grabbed Hitmonlee's leg and swung it into the ground in one full motion, earning a loud smash as a result. Then, it threw Hitmonlee's form up into the air and Ash roared even louder.

"_REVERSAL!" _Heracross swung Hitmonlee's body around in a circle before hurling it back to the ground, a sickening 'crunch' and a loud 'boom' were what followed. Ash roared in Victory, pumping his fist up to the sky, signaling his victory. Some of the fans were staring at the battlefield slack-jawed. Barry looked as though he had been run over by a truck; how on Earth had Ghost flipped the battle so fast?

To make matters worse for Barry…

"Hitmonlee is unable to battle, Heracross is the winner! Green Trainer, send out your final Pokémon!"

_Ash's Elite Box…_

Xavier was smirking at Ash's fellow elites with the lone exception of Zandra, who had a look of indifference on her face. Axel had a look that screamed, "You've gotta be shitting me," all over his face. July appeared as though she had seen the second coming of Arceus, and even May's jaw was a few inches from hitting the ground. Nobody seemed to want be the first one to speak their thoughts.

Finally, it was Axel that broke the silence. "Okay… that's the last time I ever doubt Ghost's plans in battle."

July was next to speak. "That makes two of us."

May said with curiosity. "What exactly does Reversal do? I'm honestly not sure I've ever heard the move being used before." Zandra explained calmly. "Reversal is a move that does more damage the less health the user has."

May gasped. "So that's why Reversal did so much! Heracross was hit with three attacks!"

Xavier nodded, the grin still on his face. "Yeah. That was Ghost's plan: by Blaze Kick, which is super effective, Stone Edge, which does normal damage, and a Sucker Punch with a High-Jump Kick, both of which do significant damage despite not being very effective. Ghost knew Heracross could absorb the final blow with endure then send Hitmonlee packing with two devastatingly powerful moves, not to mention Hitmonlee had already gotten hit with Megahorn earlier in the battle."

May whispered. "Ghost truly is an ingenious battler, isn't he?"

Zandra looked at May, an unreadable expression on her face. "Yes… yes he is."

_Battlefield…_

Barry returned Hitmonlee with a sad smile on his face. He knew that even with Heracross about to feint, there was very little hope he could even dispatch one of his opponents Pokémon. He said aloud. "Well Ghost, I did say I would fine you if you didn't give me a good battle, and you haven't disappointed me! But I'm not leaving without a fight! It's time to reveal my most powerful Pokémon! Alright Empoleon, let's get going!"

The blue penguin took the field with a loud cry. Ash returned Heracross and said quietly. "Thank you for your assistance Heracross, I am forever grateful." He clipped the ball to his belt and tossed up his final Pokémon. "Infernape, I need your assistance."

The fire monkey took the field and cried out its name loudly. Infernape nodded once at Ash, ready for whatever the battle threw at them. The referee had seen enough. "Battle Commence!"

Ash ordered the first move. "Let's dazzle them with your speed Infernape! Mach Punch!"

Before Barry could even call out a move, Empoleon had been struck down by a swift blur of orange. "W-what the-!" Empoleon was blasted backwards by another blur of orange. Barry was totally shocked; he had no idea Ghost controlled this many strong Pokémon. Still though, maybe it was expected considering Ghost was a regional champion. Barry was just hoping he'd be able to land a few direct strikes against Infernape.

"Empoleon, spin in a circle and use Metal claw! Center yourself before you start spinning!" Ash raised an eyebrow, but was legitimately impressed when Empoleon began spinning rapidly, a white circle surrounding, creating a shield. Infernape collided with the shield and collapsed on the ground, caught off guard by the move.

"Good! Now, use Hydro Pump!" Empoleon stopped spinning and fired off a stream of water towards the fire type. Ash yelled. "Get up and block it!"

Barry couldn't help but laugh as Ash issued the command. Infernape pushed itself to its feet and crossed his arms in front of him. The stream of water connected directly with it, and a huge amount of steam flew up in the air. Barry spoke aloud. "Ghost, I don't know what you're thinking issue a command like—" He froze again in mid-sentence when he saw a figure in the steam. After a moment, the steam cleared and the figure roared.

"INFAAAAA!" Barry took a step back in horror. The attack hadn't done _anything_! Infernape was there, completely unscathed by one of Empoleon's most dominant moves. Even Empoleon was shocked.

"B-but how?!"

Ghost chuckled. "I'm sorry Mr. Jun, but I've prepared for that move countless times. You'll have to do better than that if you wish to defeat me."

Barry shook his head to sway the feeling of disbelief. He yelled. "Well then Ghost, try this one on for size! Use Rock Tomb!"

Empoleon formed giant rocks and hurled them at Infernape, honestly catching Ash off guard. Ash ordered loudly. "Mach Punch to break through them, then reposition into a Flare Blitz!" Infernape nodded and sprinted towards the rocks, gaining speed and then busting straight through it with breakneck speed. It smashed through boulder after boulder with its fist outstretched. Then, after smashing the final boulder, it landed on both feet and broke out into a dead sprint, flames dancing around it's body.

Gathering all the speed it needed, it leapt off the ground and charged at Empoleon, it's body a raging fire. Barry yelled. "Empoleon, meet it with Metal Claw!" The two attacks met with a fiery explosion in the middle of the battlefield, causing everyone to watch with bated breath. Barry yelled out into the smoke. "Empoleon! Are you okay?" After a moment, Empoleon emerged from the smoke, a bit bruised but still standing on his feet with a grin on his face. Barry pumped his fist. "Heck yeah Empoleon! That's showing them!"

Infernape was revealed a moment later, on both feet and looking mostly unharmed. Ash frowned; this Empoleon was clearly well trained. It wasn't going to be an easy knock out. Either way, he was going to have to finish it sooner or later. However, his mind was on the former and not the latter.

"Infernape, it's time we began to finish this. Use Swords Dance." Infernape roared as it began to juice up its attack stat. Barry yelled. "Let's knock its focus off Empoleon, Hydro Pump!" Ash ordered. "Infernape, don't break concentration. Finish boosting your attack and try to absorb the shot." Infernape did as he was told, taking the blow but still boosting it's attack. Ash nodded and was about to order his attack, but then, Barry called out another move, one that would prove to be costly.

"Finish it Empoleon! Use your Hydro Cannon!"

Ash sighed. If Barry had stayed on his consistent path, he legitimately may have been able to defeat Infernape, but he had just set himself up for defeat with that move choice. Ash said calmly. "Infernape, dodge left, then use Earthquake." Barry paled when the attack missed Infernape by a considerable margin. He had been banking on Infernape being too weak to move because of the Hydro Pump. In his haste, he had forgotten one crucial thing:

Infernape's resistance to water attacks.

Infernape roared as the ground shook beneath it furiously. Due to Hydro Cannon's drawback, Empoleon could do nothing but stand there and take the damage. Once the attack had ceased, Ash yelled while crunching his fist into a ball.

"Flare Blitz! End this!" Infernape charged Empoleon, flames spinning around it in a blinding fury. "INNNFEEERRRRRRNNAAAPPPPE!" It's body now surrounded entirely by blue fire, it charged a damaged and totally helpless Empoleon. The blue penguin pushed itself off it's back to see the incredibly powerful attack storming towards it.

Barry screamed. "No! Empoleon!"

Ash heard this and suddenly shouted. "Infernape, abort!" The fire monkey suddenly stopped burning entirely and came to a walking stop a few feet from Empoleon, who was lying in a small ditch. Barry looked confused at the sudden stop, as did Empoleon. The blonde haired boy heard Ghost shout.

"Mr. Jun! I suggest you lay down your arms!"

Barry realized why the attack had stopped: Ghost knew the battle was over, and Empoleon could not go on much further. He smiled and realized Ghost was not doing this act out of arrogance, but of humility. Ghost had the smallest of grins on his face as he watched realization dawn on Barry's face.

"I'm grateful Ghost, guess I won't be fining you after all. You're just as powerful as everyone says you are, but they left out just how classy you were!"

He turned to the referee. "I forfeit, Mr. Official. I don't want my Pokémon to take anymore unnecessary damage." The official even cracked a grin and raised his flags. "Green Trainer has forfeited his Pokémon's place in the tournament! Therefore, the winner of the match and the trainer advancing to the next round of the tournament is the Ghost from Alola!"

The crowd exploded into cheers. They were mixed with praise and approval; they had seen Ghost spare Empoleon. Back on the field, Infernape held out his fist to Empoleon, who took it and was helped to it's feet. They exchanged a look before Empoleon nodded at Infernape, a grin still visible on its face. Infernape grinned back and responded.

"Infa!"

Barry walked up next to Empoleon and put a hand on his partner Pokémon's back. "Glad you're okay buddy." He then looked at Infernape and gratefully said. "Thank you for listening, Infernape. I'm so glad you were able to stop in time."

The fire monkey grinned and nodded. "Infer-nape!"

Ghost walked over to Barry and said. "Barry."

The boy smiled a little. "Thanks for the great battle Ghost. I'm just glad I'm able to say I held my own against you in battle."

Ghost didn't speak for a moment before he finally said something. "Barry, for the first time in this tournament, I can say that I'm happy with my opponent. You battled well against me Barry, and when the time came to surrender when the battle was hopeless, rather than stubbornly refuse, you recognized that you didn't want the condition of your Pokémon to worsen, and surrendered honorably." Ghost held out his hand, a small grin on his face.

"You deserve this, Mr. Jun. I don't give away my respect easily, but you have earned it." Barry grinned and shook his hand. "Thank you for the compliment Ghost."

The champion nodded. "Don't mention it. I look forward to our next battle Mr. Jun, assuming you'd be interested in battling again."

The boy immediately responded. "Of course I want to battle again! And you better go on to win this tournament Ghost, I'll fine you if you don't take it all!" Ghost had a little smirk appear over his face. "Oh, don't worry… I intend to." Barry grinned and walked out of the stadium. Ash put a hand on Infernape's shoulder and he spoke with grin on his face. "Excellent battle Infernape."

The crowd began to chant loudly. "Ghost! Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!" That very same person got on one knee along with Infernape. After a moment, he murmured softly.

"For those that have passed… and for those yet to come."

Infernape murmured next to him. "Infa…" They both stood up simultaneously and Ash said aloud, praising his fire type. "Infernape, you were stellar. Take a well-deserved rest." The fire monkey returned to its pokeball, and Ash turned on his heel to walk back to the concrete tunnel. He left the field of vision of the crowd, and as he continued to walk back, he heard the roars of the crowd echoing off the walls of the concrete.

"Ghost!"

"Ghost!"

"Ghost!"

**AN: Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! This took me a little less than a month to type. If you all haven't followed the story and favorited it as well, please go out and do it! It would mean so much to me if you could show your support to the fanfiction!**

**I've been getting asked on when Ash will reveal himself to May, and I think I've decided it will be relatively soon. My reasoning behind it is because I don't really know how much longer it should be before Ash reveals himself to someone. I already established that the first person he would reveal to that was of major importance would be May, so it's going to be her. That being said, don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Serena! **

**Also, yes, I know I didn't use Manectric or Delveon in this battle. I also know it was odd considering I even included the part where Manectric confronted Max. Just trust me ya'll, I got a plan for it. **

**As per usual, I got no idea when my next post will be. I just hope ya'll will be there along with me to see it. Till next time everyone!**

**LegionZ**


	16. The Broken One

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to the Chosen One's Wrath! If you're new to this story, please make sure you follow and favorite myself and the story to show your support! It would mean a ton to me! As per usual everyone, let's talk relevancy shall we?**

**I've finally gotten a little bit of time to type as of recently thanks to Thanksgiving vacation! I was able to type the majority of Chapter 15 over break. Some things I forgot to mention last chapter: THANK YOU EVERYBODY FOR HELPING THIS STORY NAIL 400 FOLLOWERS! Let's keep up the heat and continue on the path to one thousand followers and one thousand favorites!**

**Also, last chapter, I mentioned the whole section where I said to "Enter Sandman." If you really want a good reference, just look up** **Virginia Tech Football entrance. It's the most hype football entrance there is out there in my opinion. That was my inspiration for the last chapter when Ghost entered the battlefield. If you haven't read last chapter, I urge you to go back and read it. **

**I think that's all I've got guys! Hope you enjoy the chapter!**

**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 16**

_Last Chapter…_

_Ghost smirked. "Did you say unlawful?" Misty retorted. "Yes!" _

_Ghost's smirk only widened. "That means you were unaware that this camera can only be accessed with a certain key and cannot be viewed on any other device without accessing the camera physically, as a whole." Misty paled and Ghost gleefully said. "That would mean the camera hasn't been tampered with in any way, and therefore giving us access to everything and anything we need."  
_

_Abel looked to Ghost. "But we don't need to, right?"_

_Ghost nodded. "Espeon already told me everything I need to know." He motioned to the two officers. He then sighed. "As much as I hate to say this, only one person stole them, and only one person ever had their hands directly on the pokeball as well. While I can put all of you on notice for being involved with a crime, if you did not engage in the act then I suppose there's nothing that can be done except arrest the most likely and most certain suspect." The officers grabbed Misty by her arms and she screamed. _

"_What are you DOING!?" _

_Ghost spoke gravely. "Misty Waterflower, you're being arrested for the possession of stolen Pokémon. You will be held in custody in ALT City Jail until you can receive a trial, in which case, you will be tried and most certainly found guilty. By the powers invested in me as leader and champion of the Alola region, the tournaments host, you are now deemed ineligible to battle. Your spot in this tournament is hereby revoked, the trainer you are going against in this round shall receive a very rare gift: a free pass to the next round. Anything you say can be used against you in the court of law. You have the right to remain silent."_

_Immediately, there was an uproar of anger. Surprisingly enough, the loudest and most obnoxious of them all was Trip. "What the fuck!? You can't do that to her! You haven't even looked at the goddamn camera yet!" _

_Officer Jenny finally spoke. "Are you saying that more than one person is at fault here?"_

_Trip retorted angrily. "I'm saying none of us are at fault here!"_

_Ghost scoffed. "Oh? And how do you intend to prove it? We both know looking at the camera would be a waste of time… yes?" He looked at Trip with a glint in his eyes, one that made Trip legitimately consider stopping his verbal assault on Ghost. Unfortunately, Max had other plans, as well as Iris. _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_Finish it Empoleon! Use your Hydro Cannon!" _

_Ash sighed. If Barry had stayed on his consistent path, he legitimately may have been able to defeat Infernape, but he had just set himself up for defeat with that move choice. Ash said calmly. "Infernape, dodge left, then use Earthquake." Barry paled when the attack missed Infernape by a considerable margin. He had been banking on Infernape being too weak to move because of the Hydro Pump. In his haste, he had forgotten one crucial thing: _

_Infernape's resistance to water attacks._

_Infernape roared as the ground shook beneath it furiously. Due to Hydro Cannon's drawback, Empoleon could do nothing but stand there and take the damage. Once the attack had ceased, Ash yelled while crunching his fist into a ball. _

"_Flare Blitz! End this!" Infernape charged Empoleon, flames spinning around it in a blinding fury. "INNNFEEERRRRRRNNAAAPPPPE!" It's body now surrounded entirely by blue fire, it charged a damaged and totally helpless Empoleon. The blue penguin pushed itself off it's back to see the incredibly powerful attack storming towards it._

_Barry screamed. "No! Empoleon!"_

_Ash heard this and suddenly shouted. "Infernape, abort!" The fire monkey suddenly stopped burning entirely and came to a walking stop a few feet from Empoleon, who was lying in a small ditch. Barry looked confused at the sudden stop, as did Empoleon. The blonde haired boy heard Ghost shout._

"_Mr. Jun! I suggest you lay down your arms!"_

_Barry realized why the attack had stopped: Ghost knew the battle was over, and Empoleon could not go on much further. He smiled and realized Ghost was not doing this act out of arrogance, but of humility. Ghost had the smallest of grins on his face as he watched realization dawn on Barry's face._

"_I'm grateful Ghost, guess I won't be fining you after all. You're just as powerful as everyone says you are, but they left out just how classy you were!" _

_He turned to the referee. "I forfeit, Mr. Official. I don't want my Pokémon to take anymore unnecessary damage." The official even cracked a grin and raised his flags. "Green Trainer has forfeited his Pokémon's place in the tournament! Therefore, the winner of the match and the trainer advancing to the next round of the tournament is the Ghost from Alola!" _

_Present…_

The time was ridiculously early. It was likely just after dawn. All but one of the Elites of Alola, however, were fast asleep. An attractive girl with Pink hair and curves to die for was sipping coffee at the common area for all of the elites in the Alola league. She was deep in thought about the past days that had flown by rather quickly. She was trying not to get overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that was flying her way and decided to think about it as logically as she could.

Five days had passed since Ghost had defeated Barry in the third round. Since that time, each of the elites and champions had battled it out and successfully won their fourth round matchup's as well, all with near-perfection. Ghost had taken down Gym Leader Volkner, who had impressed everyone with three straight dominant victories, however, he was no match for a regional champion.

Xavier had gone against Sailor Maiden Anabel of the Battle Frontier. He had quite a bit of trouble at the start, losing his fire type Pokémon Camerupt early. However, his faithful partner Pyroar had burned through Anabel's remaining 3 and he cruised to the 5th round from there with little trouble.

July's opponent was an interesting one: Ghost-type Gym Leader Morty from the Johto region. Morty's Gengar took her a solid ten minutes to take down, but she failed to lose any Pokémon in the fight. Morty was defeated, but he did it by at least putting on a show when it mattered most with his trusted partner.

That left Zandra, and her opponent had been a warmup for the looming battle that appeared seemingly inevitable: Dragon-type Gym Leader Clair. The looming battle was the one person she dreaded having to go against: Lance. She could battle off against anyone because she held no emotions for them. However, there were just two people who could flip that tactic against her: Ghost and Lance. The one who had brought her in at her time of desperate need… and the one who had made her like that.

She pondered the two men. She knew they were not _close _friends, but they could probably be considered friends or at least close _allies. _Lance was a good man now. He knew what he had done to her many years ago was wrong and desperately tried to make amends for what he had done. He had been champion at the time of the incident, but it didn't matter in her eyes. He still took what was most precious to her and then left. She would never forget that day.

Then, there was the ever mysterious Ghost. Recently, his entire demeanor had changed for those he held close to him because of someone else that was in his inner circle: One May Maple. She couldn't understand him. She sipped her coffee once then looked down at the mug, concealing her bright blue eyes. How he could find the heart to forgive May so fast was beyond her. _'Why must I feel like this?' _She mused.

However, there was really very little doubt to why she felt like this: her Anger towards the pretty brunette girl was the center of this problem. How on earth he could just turn around and _like _her again didn't comprehend in her eyes. Had she forgiven Lance for what he had done to her?

Yes.

Had she redeveloped an interest in him?

No. Nowhere near it.

He had snapped her heart. He had stolen something that meant so dearly to her. And yet, as soon as he had done it, he had left her all alone. Zandra had nothing for years other than her Pokémon and her knowledge of survival skills. The experience had shattered herself as a person and because of this, she became ominous and dreary for years. She would battle trainer after trainer emotionlessly, set on becoming the best possible trainer she could be. There was no other way in her eyes to get back at Lance. 

And then, her train of thought ended. She was frozen in time for a brief period, it could've been minutes, it could've been seconds. However, she now knew why she was so angry. It was because Ghost had taken her in when he had much more powerful trainers to choose from. Ghost had seen through her ominous persona and decided to try and repair the person that had ceased to exist, even when it appeared as though was truly gone. He had trusted her with his personal identity, as he trusted with all of his elites.

She truly began to change when he spoke of those that had betrayed him. She felt her heart breaking when he spoke of how everyone he ever knew attempted to end his life and take his Pokémon's lives as well. She had known at that exact moment that he had suffered just as she had… and of course, now that she was an elite, she would almost certainly have to face the man that had made her this way. But behind Ash Ketchum, as he had just revealed to her, AKA the Ghost… she felt much better. This was not because of his raw power, it was because he had suffered through pain, betrayal, and hurt more than she had.

And if he could become strong with all that worked against him, then she knew that there was no doubt Ghost would be the one to lead Alola out of the Ashes and into glory. Three years later… and here they were. Alola was thriving. Ghost was unrivaled in strength outside of his own elites. Alola was beginning to become a tourist destination as well as a spot to start up a career as a trainer. Ghost held with a firm but not totally closed Iron-Fist. He was the man, after all, that had led Alola to greatness, as he had promised.

But of course, there were still multiple loose ends with this tournament going on. On the bright side of things to begin with, Ghost's entrance of _"Enter Sandman" _had shook fans to the core. It had shaken them so much that the tournament committee began making T-Shirts that were designed to promote Ghost and the tournament at the same time. It was a black shirt that had a dark orange cutout of what seemed to be a man on one knee and his head held low. Underneath it had the words, "Exit Light. Enter Night."

While the words reflected lyrics of the song, the pose reflected Ghost's routine after a victorious battle. **(AN: If you need another visual of Enter Sandman, look up Virginia Tech Enter Sandman Football intro.)** They were selling like crazy, and other trainers in the competition had begun to realize that Ghost was becoming the favorite to win the tournament.

On the topic of Ghost, things with him hadn't changed… much. He had easily run over his fourth opponent, some random no-name trainer that possibly had just gotten there off pure fortune. Zandra shook her head. Even Ash could still be a bit dull at times. Either way, Ash had easily squashed his female opponent, executed another Enter Sandman to perfection to hype up the crowd, and put on another perfect "Ghost-like" performance.

It had started with 512 people. It went down to 256. Then to 128. 64 was after that. Here they were, all at the round of 32. It was really lining up to be an interesting tournament. As a whole, the biggest surprises were Max, Trip and Bonnie, who had totally caught Ash's elites off guard.

Max was by the biggest idiot of the trio. He had no superior battle tactics, no ridiculous Pokémon that stood out as threats, and had a big mouth with nothing to back it up. He had done mediocre thus far, but had managed to crawl his way through the first four rounds.

Bonnie was just a nuisance in Zandra's opinion. From what she knew, she was nothing more than the girl who wished she had it all, yet pretended she did. She also knew that with Bonnie in her bracket, a battle could be coming their way shortly.

It was general consensus that Trip was biggest threat of the trio. Unlike the previous two, who either had Pokémon issues, ego problems, or both, his Pokémon were strong. His Pokémon were calculating and cunning. Trip himself knotted up multiple battle strategies that would actually be helpful in a fight, unlike Max who would panic and make things up on the fly. Trip seemed to be setting himself up for a possible run at the championship, while Max and Bonnie were simply dreaming about it. In Zandra's eyes, Max and Bonnie's goal to win was simply a Dream. For Trip, as much as she hated to admit it, it was a Goal.

By this time, two hours had passed with her pondering her thoughts, and she failed to realize that every one of her elites and her champion were in the room and preparing food to begin the day, all while fiddling with the television remote.

Her train of thoughts continued by pondering what Ghost was doing with his current team. He was currently training as hard as he could with all 15 of his Pokémon. Ash did not believe in acquiring a massive amount of Pokémon. He would slowly add Pokémon to his team if he saw the potential in them. Thankfully, all of his current Pokémon had accepted both Manectric and Delveon to the group. In the 4th round, Ash had opted not to use either one. He seemed to be waiting to use both of them until the perfect time.

Instead, he had used his faithful Psychic-type Espeon for the first two battles, then, he had swapped to Bulbasaur to defeat the girl's final Pokémon: Hitmonchan. After one last PoisonPowder and Vine Whip, the brutal assault on the fighting type came to an end as it finally hit the ground. The roar of the crowd was still ringing in her ears.

Aside from that though, Delveon and Manectric were looking honed and crisp with their moves. She was beginning to guess why Ash decided to not use them immediately: he wanted to know their limits. By knowing what they were capable of, he would be able to monitor them and make sure they were ready before he unleashed them. It was very "Ghost" of Ash to do that. It was also very "Ash" of Ghost to spend personal time with them as well, so he could learn their likes and dislikes. For one, Manectric seemed to adore Rawst berries. This was perplexing of course, since Rawst berries simply cured burns.

Delveon was strange in that it wanted to try and unleash it's full power with Psystrike, another ridiculously strong move. It's complete move set was so dominant that Ash opted not to change it as long as Delveon was content with the moves it knew. Delveon's complete Move set consisted of two direct attacks, one defensive/alternative move, and one status condition move. The two direct attacks were Sun Beam and Psystrike, both special moves with base powers of 120. Sun Beam, however, had a 30% chance of burning its target in any condition, with a total of a 50% chance when the sun was shining brightly.

It's variable move was called Aegis defense. It was primarily used as a defensive maneuver that allowed Delveon to either avoid or break through weaker moves. However, there was a catch with Aegis defense. If the move was a physical one that could possibly leave an opening to Delveon to strike back, Delveon would avoid/break the opposing move and begin assaulting the opposing Pokémon, dealing double the damage that was intended for Delveon itself upon the opposing Pokémon. At minimum, though, it would deal 75 base damage. The downside of Aegis defense, however, was that if multiple attacks combined, it could easily overwhelm the defensive maneuver. Also, moves with base power higher than 120 could easily knock through Aegis defense. The last move, not so climactically, is Calm Mind: a move that boosts both Special Attack and Special Defense in one go.

Ash's Pokémon were happy to accept the golden Pokémon to the group, as well as the electric type Pokémon Manectric. They trained relentlessly almost every morning, with today being one of those exceptions.

"Hey Zandra!" She almost jumped out of her chair. She looked over to the common area nearby and saw Ghost waving her down. "Check this out." She walked over and sat down, wondering what exactly Ghost wanted her to see. She noticed Axel with his arm around July nearby, Xavier rubbing his eyes in one hand and drinking coffee in another, and Ghost watching the TV screen keenly.

She then saw what Ghost wanted her to see: on the screen was a list of all the competitors left in the tournament, in no particular order. 

**Arceus Bracket:**

**July Ruftulis (Elite, Alola)**

**Abel Winchine (Trainer, Alola)**

**Steven Stone (Champion, Hoenn)**

**Scarlett Underwood (Trainer, Kanto)**

**Wulfric Coldform (Leader, Kalos)**

**Aaron Readkin (Elite, Sinnoh)**

**Max Maple (Trainer, Hoenn)**

**Paul Jackson (Trainer, Sinnoh)**

**Zekrom Bracket**

**Ghost (Champion, Alola)**

**Axel Fractera (Elite, Alola)**

**Cynthia Shirona (Champion, Sinnoh)**

**Bobby Johanson (Trainer, Hoenn)**

**Karl Miller (Trainer, Johto)**

**Falkner Corsto (Leader, Johto)**

**Erika Grassal (Leader, Kanto)**

**Bella Treesdale (Trainer, Hoenn)**

**Yvetal Bracket**

**Kung-yo sin (Trainer, Hoenn) **

**Korrina Pillar-Yates (Leader, Kalos)**

**Clay Earthbound (Leader, Unova)**

**Xavier Blackmon (Elite, Alola)**

**Trip Craggier (Trainer, Unova)**

**William Sedasta (Trainer, Johto)**

**Malva Keenfire (Elite, Kalos)**

**Alder Forevaborn (Champion, Unova)**

**Giratina Bracket**

**Koga Briarwood (Elite, Kanto/Johto)**

**Samantha Johnson (Trainer, Unova)**

**Zandra Polisik (Elite, Alola)**

**Gary Oak (Trainer, Kanto)**

**Sally Redawl (Trainer, Hoenn)**

**Lance Dragonwright (Champion, Kanto/Johto)**

**Bonnie Yates (Trainer, Kalos)**

**Candice Frozenul (Leader, Sinnoh)**

All of the people in the room suddenly shot out of their seats at once. All of them exclaimed at the same precise moment.

"Pillar-Yates!?"

"Diantha from Kalos got eliminated!?"

"Paul and Gary are here!?"

"Malva is in my bracket!?"

"Where are the matchups!?"

Everyone turned to stare at one another in surprise. The room was silent for a moment, other than the announcer claiming the matchups for the 5th round (the Bracket-Quarterfinals) would be out momentarily. Axel told Xavier. "Yes Xavier, Malva has always been in your bracket. Haven't you studied your opponents?"

Xavier snorted and before he could respond, Ash joked. "Pretty sure he's been studying her body more than anything." That got a groan from Zandra, and shake of the head from July, and a laugh from both Axel _and _Xavier. Xavier agreed immensely. "You got that right Ghosty, but you can't say you've been studying your opponents too. Who the hell are Paul and Gary?"

Axel turned to his leader. "I'd be curious to know this information as well, oh champion my champion." Zandra just crossed her arms, while July appeared impassive. "Both of them were my friends back in the day." _That _got the attention of the entire group. Zandra began to go on a rant about revenge and payback while July appeared to look very angry at the sudden development**. **This was before Ash finally shut down the rumor mill. "No no, not _those _ex-friends. These guys were calm, cool, collected and down to earth. Well…" He thought back for a split second about both the bad sides of Gary and Paul back in the day.

"… most of the time at least. These guys are dead-against the traitorous-douchebags. I'm not certain on it, but I'm fairly certain."

"Do they know you're alive?" July spoke for the first time.

"No, they don't, at least, they shouldn't know." Ash said.

"Moving on, Pillar-Yates!?" July squealed at her own comment. The rest of the room was silent before Ash muttered. "Where does that sound…" His eyes widened. "Wait, you mean…"

"Clemont proposed to Korrina!" She exclaimed. The room cheered aloud, regardless of the fact that Clemont was nowhere to be found. Xavier chuckled. "Guess we'll have to congratulate them the next time we see them." Zandra nodded, the slightest of smiles on her face.

"So, when did Diantha get eliminated?" Axel said while scratching the back of his head awkwardly. July giggled at her boyfriend. "Hun, she got eliminated by Alder." Axel laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, must've missed that in _ALT City Daily._"

"And for your question Zandra…" July began before the television cut her off.

"_**And Now, the Matchups for the Bracket-Quarterfinals… the round of 32! Here they are, posted right here on the screen!"**_

Everyone's eyes darted to the screen, set on finding their matchups.

**Arceus Bracket:**

**July Ruftulis vs Paul Jackson (1)**

**Abel Winchine vs Steven Stone (1)**

**Max Maple vs Scarlett Underwood (2)**

**Wulfric Coldform vs Aaron Readkin (2)**

**Zekrom Bracket**

**Ghost vs Erika Grassal (1)**

**Falkner Corsto vs Bobby Johanson (1)**

**Axel Fractera vs Bella Treesdale (2)**

**Karl Miller vs Cynthia Shirona (2)**

**Yvetal Bracket**

**Alder Forevaborn vs Clay Earthbound (1)**

**Korrina Pillar-Yates vs Xavier Blackmon (1)**

**Trip Craggier vs Kung-yo Sin (2)**

**William Sedasta vs Malva Keenfire (2)**

**Giratina Bracket**

**Koga Briarwood vs Candice Frozenul (1)**

**Samantha Johnson vs Gary Oak (1)**

**Lance Dragonwright vs Sally Redawl (2)**

**Bonnie Yates vs Zandra Polisik (2)**

_**AN: The winners of (1) battle each other, as those with (2) battle each other. Then, the last person standing in each bracket with (1) battle the last person standing in each matchup with (2). Winner of that matchup wins their bracket.**_

Ash looked at his opponent once more and sighed in relief. Erika, while a dominant leader, was no match for him. He could most definitely run the show against her, and he knew it wouldn't be close. On top of it, it would appear as though that even his 6th round matchup shouldn't be too difficult. Bobby Johanson specialized in nothing in particular, but he hadn't received all too much of a difficult workload since he had entered the tournament. Falkner had gotten much stronger, but had failed to adapt out of his type specialty either. As Ash saw it, both would be easy to defeat.

However, what intrigued him was his matchup after that. He stared at the battle that was seemingly inevitable: His elite Axel against Champion Cynthia. He knew it would be an interesting battle, to say the least. It would still be 3 on 3, 6 on 6 did not begin until the semi-finals of the entire tournament, when the winners of each bracket would go head to head in a battle to try and claim a spot in the final round.

"Hey Zan, looks like you've got some shit to wipe off your foot eh?" Xavier joked with the pink-haired elite. Ash noticed the name that Zandra had gotten paired up with and his mood darkened considerably. Zandra looked once at Ash and shook her head at Xavier. "You _really _had to say something?"

_Outside the Pokémon League…_

A trio stood outside the Pokémon league and was looking up at it with different expressions on their faces. One of them was very short, while the other two were around the same height at first glance. The shortest one said with a slight edge in its voice.

"You sure what we got planned will work?"

One of the two tallest one's said with an indifferent look on its face. "Thanks to what your… said… we have a plan to take out both of our two most dominant enemies."

The shortest one said again. "Yeah, but like, do ya think it will actually work?"

The other taller figure said with a grin. "My plan will go in motion tonight, but first, it's time to go into town and get things ready." The figures walked off into the distance, not leaving a trace that they had been there.

_Later that Day… _

Zandra found herself standing out in a secluded area surrounded by trees. She watched as her five most powerful Pokémon trained relentlessly. She was watching them with the smallest of smiles on her face. She knew very well which Pokémon Bonnie would be using; it wasn't too hard to predict everything that the girl did.

Her team would consist of her three most dominant Pokémon: Glaceon, Swampert, and her trusted partner, Aurorus. Bonnie would almost certainly be using her Panpour, Dedenne, and Flareon. She knew all of Bonnie's tactics and she was currently making final decisions to see what items she should give them and if there were any TM's that they should know before the battle.

"A little pre-match training Zan?" A voice said. In an instant, Zandra whirled around and her Pokémon mimicked her motion. The catch of it was that her partner fired off a rather nasty Blizzard attack in that direction, completely freezing the person that had spoken. Zandra noticed the person standing there and she immediately tapped her earpiece, which every elite and champion in Alola was required to wear in case of emergencies. **(AN: Remember a chapter or two ago, Ash had one in his ear to communicate with Aether Paradise and the Guardians) **

"Ghost, come in. I need you on my location ASAP."

After a split second, the response came. _"Copy that. Standby." _

The line shut dead, and then she was left in silence while staring at the person in front of her who remained completely frozen in ice. She heard her Pokémon slowly gather behind her and she murmured quietly. "Lance."

Sure enough, the man was frozen solid in front of her, a surprised look etched all over his face. He seemed to not be angry though while still frozen. Thankfully, it was only a few more moments before Ghost appeared, flying in on his Charizard. He leapt off and landed on his feet. He said. "What is it Zandra? What hap—" he stopped talking when he noticed Lance frozen in ice. He turned back to the pink haired elite with an eyebrow raised. She sheepishly said to her champion. "What? He surprised my Pokémon?"

Ghost's look didn't change. She sighed. "Fine. He surprised _me _too."

Ghost nodded once and ordered. "Charizard, thaw Lance out."

Charizard roared in response and unleashed a wave of flames. Lance hit the ground facefirst and Ash even let out a laugh. Zandra rolled her eyes at her champion and got to Lance's side. She began to search for any injuries. "Lance… I'm so sorry…" 

He groaned and sat up, his usual black cape still on. "I-it's alright… shouldn't have startled y-you in the first place…"

Zandra crossed her arms and looked at the champion. "Why exactly are you here Lance? It's not like I called you and told you to come…" Ash chuckled from behind Lance. The red-haired man turned around and saw his friend leaning up against a tree, a small smirk on his face and his arms crossed on his chest. He chuckled and pushed himself to his feet. He then raised out his hand, knowing what Ash would want. Ash shook his hand and Lance said. "Good to see you again Ghost."

Ash nodded curtly, the smirk not leaving his face. "Likewise Lance. Why don't you tell Zandra and I why exactly you decided to make an unprecedented appearance here, in the middle of nowhere?"

The area was silent for a moment before Lance said with a sheepish chuckle. "In all honesty, I just happened to see Zandra come out here and followed her, I just wanted a conversation with her in private."

Zandra smiled at him, almost seductively. "I believe anything you can say to me, you can say to Ash here as well."

Lance looked over at Ash again with an eyebrow raised. "It's okay to say your name here?"

Ash shrugged. "I believe so."

Lance sighed. "Okay then. I just wanted to talk to you about what would happen if we both win our next matchups. If that was to happen—"

Zandra finished for him. "Yes. I know. We would battle one another, and knowing our past "history" it could make the battle awkward. Is that it?" Lance looked quite embarrassed for a moment or two before nodding. Zandra sighed and walked to her Pokémon. She put a hand on Aurorus' skin and pet it. The Pokémon cooed in response. She then spoke to Lance with an emotionless tone. "Look Lance, I honestly have no quarrel with you, but I feel as though we must talk about our past if we are ever to shake it."

Lance remained quiet for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement. Zandra turned to her Pokémon and said calmly. "I want all of you to continue practicing. Aurorus?" The prehistoric Pokémon turned to its longtime trainer. "Return. In case things go…" she hesitated for a moment to look at Lance. "Awry…" she said with the smallest grin on her face. "I'd like to have you at the ready."

The Pokémon trilled in agreement. The two men watched as the Pokémon was returned into Zandra's pokeball. She attached it to her belt and then looked at Lance, who had an unreadable expression on his face. She then turned to Ghost, still wearing his usual red vest, gray jeans and red cap. She opened her mouth to say something but instead, Ghost cut her off, seemingly reading her mind.

"Don't worry. I know the drill. Take care of yourself."

He turned to Lance. "Keep her safe."

He then hopped on Charizard's back once more and took off to the skies in the direction of ALT City. Zandra murmured. "Hope his date goes well…"

Lance questioned politely. "What was that?"

Zandra smiled back in his direction. "Ghost has a date."

They had begun walking into the forest by this time. Lance couldn't help but be legitimately surprised. "Ash actually managed to get a date? Who the hell did he actually want to go out with?"

Zandra chuckled. "You're implying that he wouldn't want to go with anyone?"

Lance cocked his head to the right and gave her a knowing grin as they walked. "Please Zan. I may not see him nearly as much as you do, but we both know whichever girl he's got his eyes on has to be pretty damn special for him to want to go out with her. The last chick he had his eye on according to him was—"

"May. I know." Zandra said, a hint of distaste in her voice.

Lance was quiet for a moment before he spoke, choosing his words wisely. "You don't seem to like May."

Zandra dryly replied. "What gave that away?"

Lance laughed a little. "Do you want the more simple answer or the less simple answer?"

"Amuse me."

Lance laughed and said with a small chuckle. "I don't think you'd want to hear it."

Zandra gave him a curious look. "Which one?"

"Both."

She shook her head and laughed. "Indulge me."

Lance appeared to hesitate for a moment. Zandra stopped walking and Lance eventually slowed down to a halt as well. She walked to meet him and she said with a raised eyebrow and her voice levelled to a challenging tone. "Are you really that afraid to tell me? Is your opinion so low that you can't say anything about it to me?"

Something flashed across Lance's face but he didn't say anything or have any other visible reaction. He then motioned for her to follow him. After another moment of walking, he spoke quietly. "I trust you won't let your emotions out at me. At least, not the wrong ones?" Zandra shook her head in disbelief. Lance was usually self-confident, emotionless, and at the top of his game. This was most unlike him. "What on earth is it Lance? You're nothing like I remember you."

"Do you harbor romantic feelings for Ash!?"

There had been a lot of things that Zandra suspected Lance would question. However, that had not been one of them. Of course she had no feelings like that for Ash! She knew how much May meant to him… regardless of how much she disliked May.

She expected herself to immediately tell him off, exclaiming that she bore no feelings towards the black haired trainer. She could've seen herself lying and saying she did just to get Lance off her back. However, what she did end up doing was something that she herself didn't even expect to do.

She began laughing. Lance stared at her as they walked. Not once could he remember Zandra laughing like she was right now: happy, care-free, relaxed. She turned to Lance as they continued walking. "That's what you were worried about Lance? You thought I had sexual feelings towards my own champion?"

Lance was flushing a little bit. "Were my thoughts truly that misplaced?"

She giggled once or twice. But then, the smile left her face. This entire thought could easily have been conjured, and she just referred back to her thoughts in the morning as proof.

**That Morning… Flashback…**

_How he could find the heart to forgive May so fast was beyond her. 'Why must I feel like this?' She mused. _

_However, there was really very little doubt to why she felt like this: her Anger towards the pretty brunette girl was the center of this problem. How on earth he could just turn around and like her again didn't comprehend in her eyes. Had she forgiven Lance for what he had done to her?_

_Yes._

_Had she redeveloped an interest in him?_

_No. Nowhere near it._

_He had snapped her heart. He had stolen something that meant so dearly to her. And yet, as soon as he had done it, he had left her all alone. Zandra had nothing for years other than her Pokémon and her knowledge of survival skills. The experience had shattered herself as a person and because of this, she became ominous and dreary for years. She would battle trainer after trainer emotionlessly, set on becoming the best possible trainer she could be. There was no other way in her eyes to get back at Lance.  
_

_And then, her train of thought ended. She was frozen in time for a brief period, it could've been minutes, it could've been seconds. However, she now knew why she was so angry. It was because Ghost had taken her in when he had much more powerful trainers to choose from. Ghost had seen through her ominous persona and decided to try and repair the person that had ceased to exist, even when it appeared as though was truly gone._

**End Flashback…**

She had lied to herself. No. She had lied to herself about the entire thing; that was not the reason she was so angry at May. She had not forgiven Lance. And yet… she _was _interested in him. How could she be interested in someone who…

Her breath hitched.

… everything made sense now.

She legitimately knew now why seeing May made her angry in the back of her mind. It was because Ash and her were one of the same. Ash had been betrayed by everyone he held close to him, especially May. And yet, he had found it in his heart to forgive her and let her back into his life even after she had pretty much destroyed it.

She wasn't as forgiving. She only saw May as the one that had stolen years away from someone close to her. The thing was, this was nearly identical to how she viewed Lance: He had seduced her, even if it was simply a one night stand. He had taken her virginity and then left her to rot… even if was much more complicated than that. But the bottom line was, he couldn't give her virginity _back._

It was because of this that she refused to forgive him. She had been broken by him, and she found no reason to resolve the anger that boiled up in her every time sex was mentioned. Every time she saw Lance, she would either bottle up her emotions and try to make a small conversation with him, just so that she could have an excuse of saying that she talked to him for a miniscule period of time, and that she wouldn't have to do it again for ages.

She would be fine without talking to Lance in forever, regardless of how she bore those feelings towards him all those years ago.

_He _made her act like this.

_He _broke her.

_He _took what was most precious to her.

… _He _was the source of this sadness that had eaten her up for years.

That was why she hated May: because the one who had taken her out of the spiraling darkness had been betrayed by her. And because she could not forgive Lance for his deeds, she could not forgive May for hers.

Lance betrayed her and sent her through years of hell. May had done the same to Ash. That was why she could not forgive May: because she could not forgive Lance.

It had been a full half-minute before she spoke. "… no Lance. Your thoughts were not that misplaced. I do have feelings for someone, though."

Lance was surprised at her openness. "Who…who is it? If I may ask?"

She looked emotionlessly at him. "You."

Lance was taken aback. His mind was flooded with happy thoughts for the time being, but then, he noticed the emotionless look that covered Zandra's entire face and body posture. His face fell, and he could feel his heart mimicking his face. "But…?" He said softly, almost predicting the answer.

"Yes. We can't be together."

Lance threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. "W-why? I-Is it still about what I did to you all those years ago?"

Zandra paused from walking and turned to Lance. "Yes… and no."

Lance exclaimed, still slightly exasperated. "Well? What is it then? Why are you denying me if we share the same feelings?"

Zandra twirled her pink hair instinctively before she sighed and said. "The reason I cannot be with you is because, yes, you did scar me for life. However, it is not the incident itself that is forcing my hand, it is because I cannot forgive you for the incident."

Lance was silent for a moment or two before saying in disbelief. "I've… I've told you how sorry I was _countless _times—"

_SMACK! _Lance toppled to the ground, holding his cheek in shock, caught completely off guard. Zandra lost her temper for a moment. "Don't you _DARE _say that saying _SORRY _makes up for scarring me for years?!"

Lance, affected by emotions as well, yelled at her as he struggled to his feet. "Get _OVER _it! I've bet you shagged countless men since you became a—" He never finished his sentence, nor did he ever remember what had just occurred seconds prior.

_SMACK! _Down he went again. Zandra had tears streaming down her cheeks. "And _that _is why you and I cannot be together Lance! You weren't thinking clearly that night, and you're not thinking clearly now! So let me make this very clear, if you have to remember one damn think right now, remember this!"

She snagged Lance by his collar and snarled. "We will _never _be a couple. We will _never _be together. And you can sure as hell bet that we will never_ fuck _again! And for your damn information, _you _were my first, and _you _were my last! Get that through your thick skull, and you should know that if we battle in this tournament, _which we will_, I am going to kick your ass so badly you'll be stuck in an emergency care unit until I win this damn tournament. So shut the fuck up and leave me the fuck alone until you know what you're doing wrong, and… and…"

She stopped speaking and tossed him to the ground, the back of his head colliding with the dirt beneath him and making dazed for a short period of time. It was more than enough seconds for Zandra to walk back to the Pokémon league.

_Sometime later…_

Night had fallen, as had a massive storm. The weather was slowly getting worse and worse. She walked into the Pokémon league, slightly wet from water. She nodded twice at the guards out front, who both nodded back in understanding. Just before she walked inside, blood still boiling even after a decently long walk back, she questioned.

"Are the other elites and champion in?"

The one guard, a female presumably in her early twenties replied. "Not sure Ma'am. I believe the elites are out at _The Party Starter_. I believe I heard Mr. Blackmon speaking a short time ago about it."

She raised an eyebrow. "Did you hear what he had to say?"

The guard thought for a moment before answering. "I… I cannot say for certain Ma'am… In all honesty. But, I thought I heard something about gambling."

'_That's nothing out of the ordinary, especially for the Player, Xavier Blackmon. Axel does like to go once and awhile, and I suppose July wished to accompany them, as did Ash if his date is already over.' _She pondered.

"I see. Well, I suppose I'll have league to myself for a bit." The guards looked at one another before the other one, a man possibly in his forties spoke, his golden armor shining brightly to signify that he was not to be trifled with. "Ma'am… the champion is here. He came into the league in quitea rush. We thought it would be best not to disturb him."

'_That IS out of the ordinary… did something happen?' _She couldn't help but wonder. She turned back to the guards and said calmly. "Do you know if he's in his chambers?" The male guard admitted. "I do not know for certain, but yes, I would say that is your best bet Ms. Polisik." She nodded.

She then walked past the guards and calmly said. "Glaceon, Swampert, please aid me." She had went back and first returned her starting four Pokémon, since her Aurorus had already been with her. Her Swampert and Glaceon materialized and cried their respective names. She sighed and said calmly. "Listen, I have a feeling something is not right here with Ghost. According to the guards, he came here in a rush, which usually can not mean good things. I need both of you to stay close to me, it's simply a precaution, but if today continues on the path that it's on, I expect bad things to happen. Call it a hunch."

The Pokémon nodded once at their trainer. "Let's go. We're going to check around and see if anything is out of the ordinary." A clap of thunder boomed in the distance.

But they searched the entire first, second, and third floors and found nothing out of the ordinary. She even checked in Xavier's, July's, and Axel's chambers on the second floor, but it appeared the guards were correct: Her fellow elites were nowhere in sight. She sighed and said with a sheepish chuckle. "Well… I suppose that we should've started here instead of ending with it here…"

She walked into his chambers and raised an eyebrow. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary… or was there? She then realized something was wrong: there were no Pokémon in the room. Why? Pikachu was usually around and would always greet her with a happy smile. Why wasn't he doing so?

"Why are you here?"

She was startled as she looked towards the balcony. She saw a figure sitting there on the ledge of the balcony. She had no doubt in her mind it was Ash, and she walked towards it. "Ash! What the heck are you doing? You probably shouldn't be so—" She stopped walking and gasped when she saw him. He was no longer wearing his red vest and gray jeans. He was no longer wearing his red cap, or his gray and red gloves.

He was wearing a black cloak that bellowed behind him as the wind carried through his room. He was also sporting a large black hat that covered his eyes, and a piece of black fabric that covered his mouth and neck-area. He stood up on the balcony, his dark black boots gripping the rocks beneath them and his midnight black pants with a leather black belt completed his entire appearance.

Zandra was too stunned to speak in coherent sentences. "Wh..Wh-wha…h-ho-how…"

Ash nodded slowly. He stared at her and her two Pokémon behind her. Zandra whispered, totally shocked. "W-Why?"

Ash held his head low for a moment**. **A single tear rolled down his face, but Zandra didn't notice at the costs of the heavens opening up and letting the rain pound Alola, ALT City, the league, and Ash's heart all combined. He then looked up and a titanic streak of lightning danced across the night sky atthat exact moment, lighting up Ash's face, or rather, what he chose to reveal: his blue eyes and nose, plus everything in between. For Zandra, it was frightening.

His whispered one singular word.

"May."

In that instant, the tear that fell down his cheek hit the ground. In that instant, the lighting died out, and a roar of thunder could be heard nearby. The light faded from Ash's face, as well as the light that had been in his heart.

**AN: Huh? What happened? Why is Ash wearing his old clothes, and what happened with May? How will Zandra help her champion, or will she be unable to? Keep reading the Chosen One's Wrath the find out!**

**Sorry for the long wait guys. Usually I like to get one out once a month, turned out to be 10 days or so behind schedule. I'll try to keep things up at a more consistent pace. I already included a major chapter about Axel and July (Two of my OC's) so I decided to have a major chapter about Zandra, the third of my OC's. She has a dark past, and she reflects on it and how it connects with May and Ash, and their relationship as well. But what happened with May? What has Ash so emotional? Eh, I guess you'll have to come back when I get the next post off!**

**I hope ya'll enjoyed! If you're new guys, follow and favorite the story! It would mean a ton to me, and if you got the time, follow myself as well so you don't miss any of my stories! This is the only one I'm currently editing, but more will likely come. Check out my other stories as well! Oh also, Happy Holidays! I haven't posted since Thanksgiving, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.**

**That's all I got boys and girls! Till next time everyone! Feel free to PM me if you have any questions! **

**See ya guys!**

**LegionZ**


	17. Just Like That

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to the story, this time, it's chapter 17! If ya'll are new to this story, I do urge you to favorite and follow the story! It would mean a lot if you guys can continually support the story! If you have the time, follow me as well! This story has a bit to go, but when this story is done, it would be great to see your support as soon as I can get the next story up.**

**As per usual, let's talk shall we? So last chapter got a lot of positive attention! I'm really glad that the story is getting so much positive attention, but something I've noticed is the number of guest reviews. It bothers me a little that I can't directly respond to some people because they don't have an account. It's perfectly okay, but I was thinking if you want me to respond to ya, just make a fanfiction account and let me know! If you just want to give your opinion, it's perfectly okay too! I read every review and PM, just wanted to let you all know. **

**Last chapter was really important, and not everyone understood what I was trying to play at. I'll likely put out again the moment here in again that I will try to elaborate. However, there was something that I didn't even realize I had put in that regarded the chapters name: I named the last chapter The Broken One. What I didn't mention in the chapter was, who exactly was the Broken One? **

**Is Zandra the Broken One? Is Ash the Broken One? Last chapter took a while to come out and I felt guilty about giving you guys an extra-long wait for a chapter that's centered around an OC, since I'm trying to give each OC a chapter based around them (I already had one that was based primarily around Axel and July.) So I decided to give you all faithful readers an interesting ending to the chapter for being so patient. **

**It's time to stop this intro so you all can see what happened. You all have waited more than enough time to see what happened. Why the drastic change in Ash? Let's go see. Again, if you're new, follow and favorite! It would mean a ton to me guys. Thanks so much!  
**

**Enjoy the Chapter guys! **

_**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath… Chapter 17**_

_Last Chapter… _

"_**And Now, the Matchups for the Bracket-Quarterfinals… the round of 32! Here they are, posted right here on the screen!"**_

_Everyone's eyes darted to the screen, set on finding their matchups. _

_**Arceus Bracket:**_

_**July Ruftulis vs Paul Jackson (1)**_

_**Abel Winchine vs Steven Stone (1)**_

_**Max Maple vs Scarlett Underwood (2)**_

_**Wulfric Coldform vs Aaron Readkin (2)**_

_**Zekrom Bracket**_

_**Ghost vs Erika Grassal (1)**_

_**Falkner Corsto vs Bobby Johanson (1)**_

_**Axel Fractera vs Bella Treesdale (2)**_

_**Karl Miller vs Cynthia Shirona (2)**_

_**Yvetal Bracket**_

_**Alder Forevaborn vs Clay Earthbound (1)**_

_**Korrina Pillar-Yates vs Xavier Blackmon (1)**_

_**Trip Craggier vs Kung-yo Sin (2)**_

_**William Sedasta vs Malva Keenfire (2)**_

_**Giratina Bracket**_

_**Koga Briarwood vs Candice Frozenul (1)**_

_**Samantha Johnson vs Gary Oak (1)**_

_**Lance Dragonwright vs Sally Redawl (2)**_

_**Bonnie Yates vs Zandra Polisik (2)**_

_**AN: The winners of (1) battle each other, as those with (2) battle each other. Then, the last person standing in each bracket with (1) battle the last person standing in each matchup with (2). Winner of that matchup wins their bracket.**_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_And then, her train of thought ended. She was frozen in time for a brief period, it could've been minutes, it could've been seconds. However, she now knew why she was so angry. It was because Ghost had taken her in when he had much more powerful trainers to choose from. Ghost had seen through her ominous persona and decided to try and repair the person that had ceased to exist, even when it appeared as though was truly gone._

_**End Flashback…**_

_She had lied to herself. No. She had lied to herself about the entire thing; that was not the reason she was so angry at May. She had not forgiven Lance. And yet… she was interested in him. How could she be interested in someone who…_

_Her breath hitched. _

… _everything made sense now. _

_She legitimately knew now why seeing May made her angry in the back of her mind. It was because Ash and her were one of the same. Ash had been betrayed by everyone he held close to him, especially May. And yet, he had found it in his heart to forgive her and let her back into his life even after she had pretty much destroyed it. _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Zandra twirled her pink hair instinctively before she sighed and said. "The reason I cannot be with you is because, yes, you did scar me for life. However, it is not the incident itself that is forcing my hand, it is because I cannot forgive you for the incident."_

_Lance was silent for a moment or two before saying in disbelief. "I've… I've told you how sorry I was countless times—"_

_SMACK! Lance toppled to the ground, holding his cheek in shock, caught completely off guard. Zandra lost her temper for a moment. "Don't you DARE say that saying SORRY makes up for scarring me for years?!"_

_Lance, affected by emotions as well, yelled at her as he struggled to his feet. "Get OVER it! I've bet you shagged countless men since you became a—" He never finished his sentence, nor did he ever remember what had just occurred seconds prior._

_SMACK! Down he went again. Zandra had tears streaming down her cheeks. "And that is why you and I cannot be together Lance! You weren't thinking clearly that night, and you're not thinking clearly now! So let me make this very clear, if you have to remember one damn think right now, remember this!"_

_She snagged Lance by his collar and snarled. "We will never be a couple. We will never be together. And you can sure as hell bet that we will never fuck again! And for your damn information, you were my first, and you were my last! Get that through your thick skull, and you should know that if we battle in this tournament, which we will, I am going to kick your ass so badly you'll be stuck in an emergency care unit until I win this damn tournament. So shut the fuck up and leave me the fuck alone until you know what you're doing wrong, and… and…" _

_She stopped speaking and tossed him to the ground, the back of his head colliding with the dirt beneath him and making dazed for a short period of time. It was more than enough seconds for Zandra to walk back to the Pokémon league. _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_She walked into his chambers and raised an eyebrow. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary… or was there? She then realized something was wrong: there were no Pokémon in the room. Why? Pikachu was usually around and would always greet her with a happy smile. Why wasn't he doing so?_

"_Why are you here?" _

_She was startled as she looked towards the balcony. She saw a figure sitting there on the ledge of the balcony. She had no doubt in her mind it was Ash, and she walked towards it. "Ash! What the heck are you doing? You probably shouldn't be so—" She stopped walking and gasped when she saw him. He was no longer wearing his red vest and gray jeans. He was no longer wearing his red cap, or his gray and red gloves._

_He was wearing a black cloak that bellowed behind him as the wind carried through his room. He was also sporting a large black hat that covered his eyes, and a piece of black fabric that covered his mouth and neck-area. He stood up on the balcony, his dark black boots gripping the rocks beneath them and his midnight black pants with a leather black belt completed his entire appearance. _

_Zandra was too stunned to speak in coherent sentences. "Wh..Wh-wha…h-ho-how…"_

_Ash nodded slowly. He stared at her and her two Pokémon behind her. Zandra whispered, totally shocked. "W-Why?" _

_Ash held his head low for a moment__**. **__A single tear rolled down his face, but Zandra didn't notice at the costs of the heavens opening up and letting the rain pound Alola, ALT City, the league, and Ash's heart all combined. He then looked up and a titanic streak of lightning danced across the night sky at____that exact moment, lighting up Ash's face, or rather, what he chose to reveal: his blue eyes and nose, plus everything in between. For Zandra, it was frightening. _

_His whispered one singular word._

"_May."_

_In that instant, the tear that fell down his cheek hit the ground. In that instant, the lighting died out, and a roar of thunder could be heard nearby. The light faded from Ash's face, as well as the light that had been in his heart._

_Present… WARNING: There is Light Fluff in this Chapter. If it isn't your thing, stay advised. _

Fear was overtaking Zandra. She had not seen her leader like this in… well… ages! It had been at least a couple of years since she had seen Ash dressed in his black robes. She only remembered him when he was like this at his darkest points: his robes weren't just to look much more ominous; they signified his dark and depressing past. Ash had worn his red vest and the rest of the monsoonal only when he had forgotten his past and more importantly, moved on from it.

His past was haunted, terrifying, depressing, and possibly most damning of all, overwhelming. If it could take down the pride of the Champion of Alola, things were not good. What the hell had happened t**o **Ash for him to act like this? The only thing that had happened in the evening was with May and their…

She froze. That was it.

_Flashback…_

Lance looked over at Ash again with an eyebrow raised. "It's okay to say your name here?"

Ash shrugged. "I believe so."

Lance sighed. "Okay then. I just wanted to talk to you about what would happen if we both win our next matchups. If that was to happen—"

Zandra finished for him. "Yes. I know. We would battle one another, and knowing our past "history" it could make the battle awkward. Is that it?" Lance looked quite embarrassed for a moment or two before nodding. Zandra sighed and walked to her Pokémon. She put a hand on Aurorus' skin and pet it. The Pokémon cooed in response. She then spoke to Lance with an emotionless tone. "Look Lance, I honestly have no quarrel with you, but I feel as though we must talk about our past if we are ever to shake it."

Lance remained quiet for a moment before nodding slowly in agreement. Zandra turned to her Pokémon and said calmly. "I want all of you to continue practicing. Aurorus?" The prehistoric Pokémon turned to its longtime trainer. "Return. In case things go…" she hesitated for a moment to look at Lance. "Awry…" she said with the smallest grin on her face. "I'd like to have you at the ready."

The Pokémon trilled in agreement. The two men watched as the Pokémon was returned into Zandra's pokeball. She attached it to her belt and then looked at Lance, who had an unreadable expression on his face. She then turned to Ghost, still wearing his usual red vest, gray jeans and red cap. She opened her mouth to say something but instead, Ghost cut her off, seemingly reading her mind.

"Don't worry. I know the drill. Take care of yourself."

He turned to Lance. "Keep her safe."

He then hopped on Charizard's back once more and took off to the skies in the direction of ALT City. Zandra murmured. "Hope his date goes well…"

Lance questioned politely. "What was that?"

Zandra smiled back in his direction. "Ghost has a date."

_Present…_

The word echoed in the pink-haired girls mind over and over again.

_'Date… Date… Date… Date…'_

The room was silent for a moment or two before Zandra let carnal roar and punched the closest wall, shattering it in pieces with the single punch that she had thrown. Pikachu, who was nearby, let out a cry of shock, jumping up from the ground to all fours. Glaceon and Swampert, who were still standing firmly at attention to their master, both jumped as well. Zandra never lost her temper like this, even though she was commonly considered the Ruthless One. She could feel blood rushing out of her knuckles, but at the moment, it did not matter.

She knew it; she _knew _it! People like her and Ash _always _got betrayed in the end. They always did so much to fight for the ones and for the things that they cared for, and yet, they always found as though it all failed in the end for them. It wasn't bloody fair! She knew just how much Ash loved May, so why the hell did he always get his heart stomped on like this? She shook her head and Ash finally spoke.

"Care to explain why part of my wall was blown to pieces?"

Zandra growled out. "That bastard May did this, didn't she? What did she do to you now, I swear to Arceus she's going to _Pay!_"

Ash was quiet for a moment before he spoke. "She was there, already talking to another man. One man that looked quite a bit like someone we both know." She blinked a couple of times at his words, caught a little bit off guard by the calmness of his voice. She looked at him with an anxious expression. "W-well? Who was it?"

Ash was quiet again, this time however, it was a much longer pause than the one that had just passed. He did respond, though.

"… Me."

Zandra shook her head. "Ghost, I know that. Obviously, you were there. You talked to her."

Ash shook his head back at her. "I'm afraid you misunderstand."

Zandra frowned. "Enlighten me."

Ash sighed. "_I _was talking to her."

Zandra growled. "Enough with the damn riddles Ketchum. Spill. What the hell are you talking about?"

Ash whirled around at her, dark cape bellowing in the wind. He roared. "SHE WAS WITH ME!"

Zandra paled and took a step back, it was rare to see her leader with such a carnal look in his eyes, but yet, there it was. Then, she began to realize Ash's words and understand them differently. She said quietly. "… someone who looked like _you _was there Ash?"

Ash began his quiet explanation, and as it went on, Zandra's facial expression changed.

_Flashback… Ash… Two Hours Prior…_

"What do you think buddy?" Ash said, looking in a mirror and flexing.

Pikachu sweatdropped and stared at his trainer, who did not look any different whatsoever. His faithful partner murmured while shaking his head. "Pi… Pika Pi Pi Pikachu Pika…" Ash whirled to his partner in surprise. "Wha… What do you mean I look exactly the same? I don't always look like this, do I?"

Pikachu gave his trainer an incredulous look. He then nodded his head once at his trainer as slowly as he could to show emphasis. Ash gave a look of legitimate surprise to his partner, completely not believing that he wore the same clothes even though it was incredibly obvious that he did just that.

"Pi Pika?"

"Oh, I'm taking May out to this fancy restaurant in ALT City. It's called _The Merchant's Feast. _I've only been there with the elites every once and awhile. It's damn good food though, I'm sure May will love it."

Pikachu was quiet before pointing at Ash and claiming. "Pi Pi Pi! Pika-Pi!"

Ash was surprised for a moment before saying. "Well, yes. I do have feelings towards May Pikachu, I always have."

"Pika-Pikachu!" Pikachu accused him.

Ash frowned. Pikachu had a point there. He said to his partner. "Look, what matters is that May recognized her mistake and was willing to understand what she did was wrong! Look at the other traitors, they aren'teven willing to try and understand what they did was wrong, let alone ask for forgiveness!"

Pikachu shook his head and fired back. "Pi-Pikachu Pi! Pi!"

Ash took a step back. "… No, I suppose it doesn't change that she still betrayed me."

Pikachu sighed. At least Ash understood something that was quite important. Ash sighed again at his partner before saying aloud.

"Pikachu, I think it's time."

The Pokémon looked at Ash in confusion, waiting for him to continue talking. Ash did so.

"I'm going to tell May who I am."

The Pokémon's eyes widened in shock, unable to believe his trainer's actions. However, Pikachu wasn't going to argue it. Ash took a deep breath, took one last look in the mirror, and then walked out of his chambers with all the intention in the world that, by the time he returned, May would know who he was, everything that had happened to him and how his feelings for her had not changed.

_A Short Time Later…_

Ash smiled as he landed, and then jumped off of Charizard's back and returned the dragon after thanking him for his effort. He then looked up at the rather large building that appeared to be at least three stories. He walked in with a confident smile on his face, knowing that tonight had a good chance of going so well. He had everything planned out to the best of his ability, and nothing could go wrong, at least, as long as he could help it.

First, they would have this romantic meal, and he would tell her stories of his past, in an attempt to jog her memory of him. Then, he'd take her out on a—

His mind froze momentarily as he approached the hostess, a pretty blonde girl in her twenties. "Hello, I'm meeting someone here under the name Maple."

The waitress blushed hard, knowing very well who she was talking with. She nodded at the handsome champion and said. "One moment s-sir…" Ash nodded in understanding. He stood there patiently while the hostess appeared to be checking her notes of some sort. After a moment, she said. "Um Sir?"

Ash frowned patiently. "Yes?"

The hostess looked confused. "It says here you are a party of two, yes?"

"Correct, and the problem with that is?"

The hostess frowned. "It says here that Maple, party of two, is already checked in."

Ash cocked his head slightly to the left. "I-I'm sorry, what?"

She frowned. "It says here Maple Party is already checked in sir. I don't know what else to tell you sir."

"You could tell me that you're joking, and that I can head right in to see my girlfriend." Ash joked without an ounce of humor in his voice. 

The hostess sighed. "You can just go in to see if you see her there."

Ash was relieved, now they were getting somewhere, it was probably just some mistake, in all honesty. He walked past the hostess with the lone intent of seeing May, his beautiful brunette girlfriend. He knew the exact place he had reserved; a private room for the two of them. He walked to the elevator. Pressing the darkened number "3" on the panel inside, he watched as the doors closed and his ascent began. Soon enough, the elevator halted and the doors opened to reveal a singular door down the hallway. He felt the door handle and was surprised to find it locked.

He shook the handle once or twice, and nothing happened. He then heard a noise emit from someone inside. He felt his protector instincts kick in. "Hang on! I'm coming in!" He yelled. He then kicked the door with all his might, and it swung open to reveal two people.

Ash's mind had frozen in shock when he saw the two people. One was a gorgeous brunette with an excellent bust and pretty brown pigtails. Her eyes were shining an almost creepy light-blue. Her eyes widened when she saw him walk in. The other person had auburn eyes and raven-like hair. He was around the same height as the girl. He was wearing a very familiar blue and red outfit.

Ghost stood there in disbelief as he saw May and… none other than _himself_ standing there. He fought to find any words to speak.

Finally, the words came out. "What the…"

May exclaimed in a bubbly tone. "Ghost! C-can you believe it?! Ash is alive!"

Ghost merely stood there; a stunned look etched all over his handsome face. Ash's doppelganger walked over to him and held out his hand cheerfully. "Hi! My name is Ash Ketchum! It's nice to meet you! My goal is to become a Pokémon master someday!"

Ghost was frozen for another moment before he slowly extended his hand and shook his doppelganger's hand. "My name is Ghost. I'm the champion of the Alola region, a pleasure."

Ash grinned cheekily and released the handshake. May excitedly said. "I can't believe you came back to me!"

Ash held her hands and said softly. "Well of course I would come back to you, I love you!"

May whispered. "I… I love you too."

Ghost's eyes widened in horror as the two hugged tightly. When the two failed to break their grasps over one another, Ghost finally lost his cool. "So… that's how this is going to be huh?"

May looked at Ghost with desperate eyes. "I… I d-don't even know what to say Ghost… I-I'm _so _sorry that this had had to happen. B-but Ash had been the one I've been yearning for… for years! I couldn't do anything, I couldn't say anything to anyone, a-and if I did… w-who would believe me?!"

Ghost stared at her with tears threatening to build and then said. "S-so… w-we're done?"

He saw tears in her eyes. "Y-y-yes… we are."

Ghost's face changed ever so slowly to an emotionless one. "I see. I'll stay out of your way, but don't even think of getting in mine."

He then walked out of the room, an emotionless tone written all over his face. With every step he took, he could feel his heart breaking piece by piece. It had happened again. May could not keep a single boyfriend. He couldn't say that she had done this before, because then she'd suspect something, as would his doppelganger. But why? Why would she snap his heart again? What did he do to deserve this? As he walked out of the restaurant, he felt darkness overtaking his soul, and this time, he wasn't sure if he could ever come back.

_Present…_

Zandra was shocked, May broke it off with Ash Ketchum for an _imposter _Ash Ketchum?! That was… well… messed up. Poor Ash, err, the real one. He held his head in disbelief. "I was dumped by my girlfriend by _myself! _H-how crazy is that? H-how unlucky can I get?"

Zandra suddenly said aloud. "Something isn't adding up here Ash."

Ash groaned. "You're telling me? There was literally a guy who looked nearly identical to me!"

Zandra frowned. "Nearly?"

Ash hesitated for a moment or two before saying. "Yeah, I mean, I noticed the scars on my face were off. Also, I'm pretty sure when I went to Kalos, I was a lot taller."

Zandra raised an eyebrow. "Wait, your copycat was wearing your Kalos clothes?"

"Uh-huh."

Though his eyes were covered by the large black hat, she could feel his eyes gazing over her curiously. He gently turned his head as if to question her. He said slowly. "What are you hinting at here Zandra?"

Zandra turned to Ash. "I'm saying that I think something was up with May during that dinner, and it was affecting her in a big way."

Ash stared at his pink-haired elite and said with a sigh. "What do you want to know?"

Zandra frowned. "Didn't you say her eyes were glowing light blue?

Ash nodded. "Yeah, they were. I'd know her eyes anywhere, they're usually an ocean blue. During dinner, it was light blue, they were definitely different than how I know them, I swear. And…" He paused and took off his hat slowly. "… now that you mention it… there was something May said that is wrong… well, at least as of right now, it sounds wrong…"

Zandra sent a look at her champion and sat down on his bed. "Care to enlighten me?"

Ash nodded.

_The Flashback…_

_May looked at Ghost with desperate eyes. "I… I d-don't even know what to say Ghost… I-I'm so sorry that this had had to happen. B-but Ash had been the one I've been yearning for… for years! I couldn't do anything, I couldn't say anything to anyone, a-and if I did… w-who would believe me?!" _

_End of the Flashback…_

Ash shook his head and said to his elite, "But that last part… about not saying anything to anyone… and nobody believing her as the excuse… that's a lie! She told _me _about it, and I promised to help her! Though I suppose I didn't specify _when _I'd help… she definitely was making it seem like nobody at all was on her side on the matter."

Zandra suddenly gasped in recognition and stood up faster than she ever had before. She yelled out in surprise. "I KNEW IT!" Ash blinked once or twice and said. "Please, explain?"

She ran to Ash's work desk and booted up his computer and began typing away rapidly on it. Ash muttered aloud under his breath. "Oh sure, help yourself…"

"Bonnie is my next opponent!" She claimed proudly.

Ash shook his head, his eyes wide in bewilderment. "And that is important _because?_"

"Because… if I remember correctly…"

She showed Ash the computer after a moment or two, and then, Ash could only widen his eyes as he saw everything he needed to know about the situation. His pink-haired elite was indeed onto something, but there was only one way to find out if their current theory was on the right path, completely on-point, or completely off-point.

_Traitors…_

"I told you it would work!" Max said proudly, puffing out his chest.

There, before them, was May, tied up and gagged, all while sitting on a chair. She had swollen eyes from all the crying she had done. She recognized all the traitors, the ones who had betrayed Ash, all there. Well, all of them except Trip. She wasn't sure where he was, but wherever it was, it wasn't with her. She saw Bonnie helping Max with something in a corner a moment or so later. Cilan walked over to her and smirked. He then removed the gag from her mouth.

"I am quite sorry."

May spat at him. "Like hell you are."

Cilan didn't flinch from her cold gaze. "Honestly, you were never meant to get hurt or injured. The one we intend to harm is your boyfriend… or should I say ex-boyfriend?" At that May let out a growl and fought to get free so she could strangle to green-haired man. He chuckled a little and shook his head at May.

"A futile attempt, to say the least."

May growled. "You're going to pay for this!"

Dawn walked into the room with a sweet smile on her face. "Ah but we beg to differ. You're just lucky Misty's boyfriend isn't here to wipe the floor with you."

Cilan raised an eyebrow. "Any reason why he chose not to assist us in this mission against the leader of the Alola region?"

Dawn rolled her eyes. "He said something about winning "the honorable way" and how we were going about it is wrong. I don't know what's gotten into him, but I'm sure he'll see the error of his ways and come back. After all, it is Ghost that tossed his girlfriend into Jail in the first place, is it not?"

May snarled. "Maybe you're forgetting that she _stole _Pokémon from a fellow competitor, and unlike the rest of you idiots, he realizes that stealing is wrong, and unlawful."

"Don't you realize that Bonnie, Max, and Trip now have the chance to become champions? And of course, when they _do _become champions, we'll all become rich! I don't think you understand just how close we are to achieving our dream May." Iris said, walking into the room and crossing her arms while staring at May with an indifferent look in her eyes.

"Ghost will beat you all." May said, a small grin covering her face.

A smile crossed Iris' face in response, and May felt the smile on hers leave entirely. "I doubt that, May. I don't believe you've heard the news?" May didn't respond, so Iris continued gleefully. "Ghost swapped his dress attire today, word has it."

May blinked. "And that's bad because?"

She wished she hadn't asked. "Oh… according to some of the residents of ALT City, they said they haven't seen Ghost wear this particular outfit in around two years… back when he used to be a leader that rarely communicated with his people. He was closed off, quiet, and most importantly, he wasn't always trusted." May's eyes were widening in horror.

Iris smirked. "Ghost is about to begin losing the trust of his own people once more, and of course, losing you before all of this to the dead Ash Ketchum. Ahh seeing Ghost's face as you betrayed him just like you betrayed Ash was priceless!"

May had tears that were threatening to fall out of her eyes. She didn't know why she did what she did, but what she did know was that she did not want to break up with Ghost. But was Ash really alive!? Why would he help the people who backstabbed him? It didn't make any sense!

"Why on earth would Ash help you hurt Ghost?" She found herself saying.

Cilan laughed. "Silly girl! That's not Ash! It was merely Max who had a ton of make-up on; courtesy of our great—" He held his hands out as though he was introducing a product of some sort. "—Dawn Berlitz!" The blunette grinned and took a polite bow to spite the brown haired girl.

"G-Ghost will find me!" May said, trying to sound confident, but on the inside, she really didn't know if he would even _try _to find her.

Max joined the bunch and smirked at the girl. "Trust me sis, after that performance we put on at that restaurant, the only reason he'd come looking for you is to demand that _you _pay the bill!" He laughed at her.

The rest of the traitors joined in on the laughing. May felt tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably now, there was nothing that she could do.

"I'll admit, you had me fooled."

The traitors stopped laughing and immediately began panicking as they heard a voice echoing throughout their apartment. Iris clenched a pokeball on her waist and yelled out in surprise. "W-who's there!? Show yourself!"

The room was silent for a moment or two before the voice that echoed throughout the room began to laugh ominously. Bonnie cried out. "H-Hypno! Protect me!" The Pokémon materialized next to the blonde haired girl and cried out its name respectively. At that exact instant, the lights sliced off in the room, making visibility all but impossible. "H-hey! Who turned off the lights?" Max yelled to nobody in particular.

"So… you still find the need to cause trouble in this region… _my _region…"

"I-It's Ghost! He's here!" Dawn cried out in panic.

Everyone was running around in a panic, and in their haste, bumping into each other, knocking stuff over, and what not. May felt someone run into her, and she closed her eyes as she waited for the impact with the floor to reach.

A few moments later, and the power to the room was restored. Max blinked and looked around. Everything was still the same! Except…

"MAY IS GONE!" The traitors whirled around to the chair that had just contained the princess of Hoenn moments earlier.

The voice echoed sarcastically. "Oops… did I do that?"

Max yelled. "Come on! We can't let her get away!" He ran to the front door and swung it open. You could imagine his look of shock when he was lifted off his feet by a brown haired man with a very defined jaw line. He stood around 6'3'', and his eyes were glaring daggers at the boy in his grasp. Max was struggling mightily to break free, with no avail. All the traitors recognized this man instantly, and it was _not _Ghost.

"You all make me sick. You betray Ash all those years ago, then you kidnap the girl who loved him all to satisfy your own greed? How could Ash possibly have been friends with such bastards like yourself?" The man spat at them.

"Ketchum was a bit of a loser back in the day, but our final battle opened my eyes to what he fought for: a friendship with everyone, including Pokémon! How could you all do this to him? I just don't know, and even as much of a tool as I was all those years ago, I could never do something as low as what you all did to him." Another voice spoke. Out from behind the brown haired boy came another. He had purple hair that was fairly spiky and messy. He had a glare in his dark eyes, and was wearing a blue and black jacket. He was a couple inches shorter than the brown haired boy.

The traitors were clearly taken aback by the appearance of two people they all knew. "Gary, Paul, what the hell are you doing here!?"

Ash's two former rivals stood before the traitors, Paul with his arms crossed, and Gary still holding Max high in the air, showing his impressive stamina and strength. Max managed to get out. "P-put m-me down!"

Gary chucked Max to the ground, earning a loud crashing noise in response. Gary spat at them, malice in his voice. "Haven't you all been bastards enough? You killed Ash, you kidnap May, you plan to ruin Ghost, and you steal from Abel Winchine? What the hell is your problem!? Have you gone insane?"

Cilan accused. "How do you know all of this?"

Paul snorted. "Does it matter?"

Iris retorted. "Yes! It does!"

Paul shook his head. "I don't waste my time with a bunch of losers like you all. People who have to drop as low as stealing, kidnapping, and _murdering _people to get an edge or even the score don't deserve anything but a jail cell for their actions."

Cilan smirked. "And yet, if we did all of this, why hasn't anyone arrested us?"

Gary chuckled. "Because Ghost has something planned for you all."

Max laughed. "Yeah right. Did he tell you to tell us that because he was too scared to come here and do it himself?" 

"Feeling lucky?" A voice said from behind the traitors. They whirled around and saw a figure standing there with a black cloak on. The figure was wearing a large black hat that shielded his face from view. He also wore black boots. He looked quite lethal, and the traitors were smart enough to recognize this.

"W-who the _hell _are you!?"

"You don't recognize me? A shame."

All of the sudden, Cilan was sent flying up against a wall, and landed on the ground with a crash. Iris was sent flying backwards as well, smashing through a chair. Both Dawn and Bonnie flew backwards, with Hypno getting launched into the two females. Max was grabbed by his neck this time.

"Let me make this _abundantly _clear. If you ever _touch _your sister again, you will be ended. If you ever feel the need to _think _about your sister again in the way you have been thinking about her, as a bargaining chip, you will be ended. And to give you a good idea of this…" The cloaked figure held Max up high in the air by his neck, choking him. "… remember this mark before you do something as foolish as what you just did." In one hand, he hurled the boy into Cilan, smashing the wall even more. Max groaned and coughed uncontrollably for a moment or two.

When all the traitors came to, Gary, Paul, and the cloaked figure were all gone.

_Flashback… Ash and Zandra…_

"Bonnie is my next opponent!" She claimed proudly.

Ash shook his head, his eyes wide in bewilderment. "And that is important _because?_"

"Because… if I remember correctly…"

She showed Ash the computer after a moment or two, and then, Ash could only widen his eyes as he saw everything he needed to know about the situation. His pink-haired elite was indeed onto something, but there was only one way to find out if their current theory was on the right path, completely on-point, or completely off-point.

"Are we sure that Bonnie used her Hypno to possible manipulate May and to do this?"

Zandra nodded eagerly. "It _is _possible. If May was being hypnotized, then this makes perfect sense. Her eyes would be light blue, almost glossed over. Bonnie would tell her what to say, and therefore, since Bonnie didn'tknow you and May had a conversation about proving Ash, err, you were killed by them all those years ago, then there would be holes in May's story. But the problem is, we don't know where the traitors would be. I don't even think they're stupid enough to use the same hideout twice. How are we going to find them?"

"We can always _check _their old hideout. Hell, maybe they are stupid enough to use it again." Ash shrugged.

She nodded at her champion. As if on cue, the rest of the elites could be heard laughing and talking down the hall. Ash looked worried. "I…"

Zandra placed her hand on her champion's shoulder. "Don't worry Ash. I'll take care of them. You go try and find her. Get it done." Ash nodded, called out Charizard, and motioned for Pikachu to hop on as well. Zandra returned her Pokémon and ran out to greet the rest of Ash's elite.

_XXXXXXXXXX_

Ash soared above the building with a frown on his face, would they really be stupid enough to come back and use it again as a hideout? Ash landed outside the Pokémon center and walked in, intent full on seeing on whether or not May was here.

"Ahem, Nurse Joy?" Ash said, cloak still behind him.

The Nurse looked at him, and she gasped. "G-Ghost!? What are you doing in your old uniform? I almost didn't recognize you!" Ash grinned underneath his hat. While the local residents of ALT City would know this outfit, the traitors would not.

"I need to know if Max Maple and his friends are still here."

The Nurse nodded and said. "I can check for you. Is that alright?"

Ash nodded. "Okay. I'll be right back."

The nurse vanished behind a door leaving Ash to his own thoughts. After a moment or two of silence, someone behind him spoke. "Why the hell would you even consider being friends with that loser?"

Ghost turned with an eyebrow raised, though his face stayed entirely concealed. A boy in a blue and black jacket stood there with his arms crossed. He didn't appear very happy, as confirmed by his words against Max. Ash raised an eyebrow at one of his most bitter rivals. The purple-haired boy just sneered at him, completely unfazed.

Ash smirked. "What makes you say I'm friends with him?"

Paul fired back. "What makes you say that you're not?"

Ash chuckled. "Aside from the fact that they caused a scene in _my _City, and are actively trying to take over _my _league, that's what."

Paul's eyes narrowed. "You're not Ghost. You're wearing entirely different clothes than he wears."

"Paul, cut it out. Check this out." A brown haired boy ran over and showed his friend something on his Pokegear. Paul's eyes widened and then his eyes darted back to Ghost, who simply stood there watching the scene unfold.

"… well I suppose you are indeed the one they call Ghost. Guess I was wrong." Paul admitted begrudgingly.

Ash nodded and spoke dismissingly. "Now that we got that wrapped up…"

Gary, another one of Ash's bitter rivals, questioned Ghost before he could end the conversation for good. "Wait, why do you want to talk to Max and his friend group? You just said they were bad news, yet you want to go see them, why?" Ash merely chuckled. "Let's just say they need a good talking to and leave it at that."

Paul smirked. "He needs more than that; he needs a wakeup call. He's notwinning this tournament if I've got anything to say about it."

Gary nodded. "Or I."

Ash chuckled. "Then I suppose we all have something in common."

It was then that a light switch was flicked on inside his head. He looked at the two boys. He smirked. "How would you two like to give me a hand in a chore that I have to do?"

Gary blinked. "And that chore is?"

Ash laughed. "Taking out the trash."

"Glad to help in the garbage department. I'm Paul, and the hotshot here is Gary. How can we be of service, Mr. Champion?"

_May…_

May found herself lying in a rather large bed, tucked in nicely. She looked down underneath the covers and saw she was not tied up anymore, so what had happened? She pushed herself up and looked around the room in bewilderment. It was an elegant design, one that had everything one could ask for. Hell, it looked like a kid had designed the room. She didn't even notice the man watching her curiously.

"… How are you feeling?"

She jumped at the voice and turned to see Ghost sitting, one leg across the other at a 90 degree angle. Her eyes widened and she began to ramble.

"G-Ghost! Oh My God! I-I-I'm s-so sorry! I know it looked b-bad but I swear, I-I didn't do it o-on purpose! My b-brother and his friends controlled m-me using one of their Pokémon! I swear! I-I'll do anything to show you I-I'm telling the truth! _Anything! _P-please let me show you! I-I can't l-lose you too! I-I'm so—" She was cut off from rant when Ghost firmly and yet kindly replied to her. "I am aware of everything May."

Her jaw dropped an inch or so, completely dumbfounded that Ghost had managed to solve everything in such a short period of time.

"B-but… how?" 

"I can't take all the credit. If it wasn't for Zandra, my fairy type elite, I'd very well be in a very rough place right now. And of course, without the help of Gary and Paul, I may have not had the time to get you out unharmed."

May frowned. "How did you even do… Wait… why do I remember you wearing all black?"

Indeed, Ash was no longer wearing his usual Black Cloak. Instead, he was once more wearing his red vest, dark gray t-shirt, the usual outfit. Ghost nodded at her question. "Yes, I was. Perhaps I'll go into details with you some day to as why I was like that."

"Ah, she's awake." They both turned to Ash's doorway and saw Zandra standing there with the slightest trace of a smile on her face. May couldn't honestly believe it though, Zandra was the girl who had been the coldest to her by a country mile, though she had been dispelled by her original theory that Zandra had feelings for Ghost. This occurred when Ghost had mentioned to her that Zandra and Lance had a history together.

So why all the bad blood then?

"Glad to see you're doing alright. Honest."

May said quietly. "Thank you…"

Zandra nodded once in response. May questioned Zandra. "S-so you know about Bonnie's—" The elite raised her hand to stop her. "Hypno, and how it hypnotized you? Yes. We know." May said nothing else, and Zandra nodded once more before she told Ghost. "You ought know this Ghost; you got the unlucky slot."

May looked at Ghost with confused eyes. What did that mean? He moaned aloud and in a very disappointed voice. "Gahhhh… you _are _kidding, I hope?"

"Afraid not."

Ash sighed and said. "Guess I better get going then…"

May's eyes darted to Ash in surprise. "W-what? Why are you leaving?"

Ash chuckled. "Guess who got stuck in the first battle time slot?"

May's jaw dropped. But the first battle wasn't supposed to be till late on the… she found herself asking. "How long was I asleep?"

Ash chuckled again. "Well, it's currently 6."

May blinked and Ash now laughed at her expense. "… In the evening." She nearly screamed at him. "I was asleep for over 16 hours!?"

"When's the last time you got a decent night's sleep May?"

May turned a light red in her cheeks and said shyly. "I… I don't remember." Ghost nodded once and stood up. "I'd love to stay and continue chatting, but my battle against Erika starts in about an hour. I have to get over there and prepare; A spot in the top 16 is on the line right now, after all." As he walked away, she suddenly cried out. "W-wait!" Ash turned back to her. "Yes? What is it May?"

"Where does all of this leave us Ghost?"

Ash frowned. "What do you mean?"

May said in confusion. "What do you _mean, _'What do you mean,' Ghost? I was being controlled by a Pokémon! We broke it off under that spell! Is everything really okay?"

Ghost turned back towards her. "Let me ask you something then."

May nodded. He walked closer to her, eyes twinkling. "Do you still want to be together?"

May gasped. "Of course! Why would you even—"

_**(Warning: Some Fluff for you Advanceshippers, no Lemons though.)**_

Ash smiled. "Well I want to stay together. See? There's no reason to cause tension when we both feel the same—" Ash gasped as May pushed her mouth firmly against his. She wrapped her arms around Ghost's neck, deepening the kiss. She moaned happily when she felt Ghost's hands trailing down her back little by little before eventually reaching her perfect backside and squeezing it.

She removed one hand from his neck and used it to remove Ghost's hat. Tossing it aside, She then turned her head to get a better angle of Ghost's face. The feeling was absolutely indescribable, it was like she was flying across the sky. Meanwhile for Ash, he was feeling just as tremendous: May's lips were intoxicating. He had pressed his hands into her bum firmly, and somewhat expected her to break away from him and call him a pervert or something of the sort. Instead she had only moaned into his lips, as if begging him to keep doing that. So, that was exactly what he did: he began massaging her backside in his hands, enjoying how perfectly shaped they were and how great they felt in his hands.

May wrapped her one leg around Ghost's, making sure she had a good grip on him. She whimpered happily when he broke the kiss and began lightly sucking on her neck. "G-Ghost…" the man responded with a quiet word. It was a single word, but it was filled with emotion, and an action followed right after it.

He seductively whispered. "Mine." He then lightly bit down on May's neck, causing her to squeal lightly and then moan as she felt him lick the spot softly with his tongue. She had _zero _idea Ghost had a rather… _sexy_ side; and she loved it. In response to his action, she got on her tippy-toes and prepared to do the same thing to him. He growled in his throat as he felt the gorgeous brunette placing kisses on his neck. She whispered to him the same word he had whispered to her.

"Mine." She then bit down on his neck, earning a groan from the young champion. She licked it softly before Ash pulled her down onto his bed, with her landing on top of him. Then began to kiss once again, their tongues tracing each other's lips from time to time.

Ash continued to massage May's bum in both of his hands, never failing to give it the attention it wanted. May moaned seductively. "Ghosttttt…" In that she was more than willing to go the distance with Ghost. She could feel his heart pounding in his chest as they kissed. She knew he shared the same feelings that she had for him. Breaking the kiss, she began nibbling on his earlobe playfully, earning a sigh from the man in the red vest.

"May… I need to… ah… Go…" He panted. May murmured. "Ten more minutes…?" Ash chuckled at her, regaining his focus and composure. "It's already been twenty sweetheart…" Her eyes widened and she turned to the clock that she had seen when she was looking around earlier. It was true, they really had passed a lot of time making out.

She giggled. "Sorry, guess I got a little carried away…"

He placed both his hands on May's backside once more. "Don't be. I can't even begin to tell you how much I enjoyed it."

The girl smiled and lightly kissed him once more.

"May."

The girl looked at him as he slipped out from under her and grabbed his hat that was positioned on the floor. "What is it Ghost?"

"I want you to stay here while I battle."

She blinked in confusion. "W-what?" Why?"

Ash smiled mysteriously. "Just… trust me."

She smirked. "Come on Ghosty, give your girl something to go on here." Ash hesitated for a moment or two, but then, she leaned over, giving an excellent view of her bust. She smiled evilly at seeing how much of an effect it was having on her handsome boyfriend. Ash smirked, if that was how she wanted to play it, so be it. He leaned in next to her and whispered something as softly as he could. May's eyes widened in shock at his words. She stared at him with wide eyes, not believing what she had just been told.

He smirked at her again before walking out of the room, the grin never leaving his face for a single second, and leaving May in the room in a state of shock.

_Alola Battle Stadium…_

Ash sighed. He was staring in the mirror quietly, listening to the outside noises of the stadium. The announcer sounded as though he was introducing his opponent, so he knew it wouldn't be too long before they called him up as well. He was massaging his neck with a half-grin, half-frown on his face. The mark May had left on his neck was seriously started to attract attention, but at this point, he felt as though he and May had taken a huge step in their relationship.

"_Yesterday ended much better than I thought I would've, Zandra, Paul and Gary seriously saved my Bacon. Time to get back into the groove of things." _

He heard cannon fire going on outside, and he knew that Erika was being introduced for sure now. It wouldn't being long now…

"Ghost! You're up!" He turned to the doorway and was surprised to see none other than Kiawé standing there with a grin on his face. Kiawé had been defeated in the round beforehand, falling to elite Aaron from Sinnoh.

"Got it. Thanks."

Kiawé's eyes widened when he saw the mark on Ash's neck. He closed the door and breathed out in disbelief. "What in the…"

"May." Was Ash's only response.

The Alola-Native man chuckled at that. "Man, you two must be having some smooth sailing then! Congrats Ghost!"

Ash shook his head with a weak grin on his face. "Ah, if only it were that simple… I have to fight quite a bit for her."

Kiawé grinned and wisely said. "For the right partner, one will have no bounds in the actions they take for them." He walked to the door and grinned one final time. "Good luck Ghost. Stay frosty out there." He then closed the door and Ash could make out the sounds of fading footsteps. As if on cue, Ash heard the familiar beat begin playing.

_***Play Virginia Tech Enter Sandman Football Entrance For Reference***_

Out in the stadium, everyone had begun to clap their hands slowly in beat with the crowd and the music. The crowd was cheering loudly as they knew Ghost would be arriving on the battlefield soon. Every other second, the audience would clap, and on the four mega screens on any side of the stadium, the picture/video would change.

The first was a close up video of boots walking down what appeared to be a concrete tunnel.

A close up of Ghost's red hat in a sideways motion was next.

Then, a figure enlarging a pokeball in one hand.

"_DOWWWNNNNN GOES HITMONCHAN! BULBASAUR WINS THE BATTLE!" _An announcer's voice roared as a clip of Hitmonchan hitting the ground and Bulbasaur standing triumphantly over it was shown.

The crowd continued clapping for a few more moments before the chanting began as the words appeared on the Big Screen.

_**"LETS-GO!" **_

"_**ALO-LA!"**_

"_**LETS-GO!"**_

"_**ALO-LA!" **_

The deafening roars of the crowd shook people to the bone, sending goosebumps throughout every single person in the stadium. This would continue for a few more moments, until all of the sudden, the light's dimmed and a guitar began to play. 

Everyone began to jump around like a bunch of madmen. Cymbals could be heard in the background of the song, and after a moment, drums began to play loudly in sync. The crowd cheered loudly as the song began to pick up the pace. Lights were flashing everywhere, and eventually, a guitar kicked in. The audience didn't stop cheering, the feeling was nothing short of exhilarating.

After a moment or two, the song hit its peak, and the guitar hit a new chord, sending chills through everyone in the stadium. At that exact moment, Ghost walked out of the concrete tunnel once more, fireworks being shot off in every direction. The audience was whooping and cheering as they watched the tournament favorite take the field across from a well-respected gym leader. Remarkably enough, she seemed to be the only one who was unfazed by the intro; everyone else was moved by it.

The referee in the middle of the battlefield announced. "Welcome to the first battle of the round of 32 trainers. This battle is between the Ghost of Alola, and Erika Grassal from Kanto. Each trainer will use three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all three Pokémon from either side are unable to continue. Furthermore, both sides are permitted to substitute Pokémon. And before we begin, it's time to reveal the newest factor of the _ABS, _the battlefield randomizer!"

Erika raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Ash's eyes widened in horror. He had totally forgotten about Sophocles mentioning that! On all of the big screens, a multi-colored wheel began to spin describing the terrains that could be chosen for the round. The wheel slowly stopped on a light blue wedge of the circle labelled, "Ice."

The floor from underneath the two trainers and referee vanished for a moment before an ice battlefield that included high and icy cliffs reappeared. "Without further ado, let the battle begin!"

Erika frowned. "It's truly bad fortune to be forced into a brutal battlefield, but I am far from over! Exeggutor, come out!" The standard Exeggutor took the field, crying its name triumphantly before watching it's opponent keenly, waiting to see who Ghost would use as it's opponent.

He calmly took out the pokeball on his belt and stared at it. He hadn't planned on using her in this battle, but there was nobody else would held a candle to her on this battlefield; it had to be now. He said calmly. "I need your assistance."

The Pokémon materialized, and the audience gasped in surprise. Ash smiled as his watched his newest Pokémon take the field and cry out proudly. "Deeeelllvvveeee!" Erika was stunned as she stared at the beautiful, golden Pokémon. The referee raised an eyebrow, totally unsure of what the Pokémon he was seeing even was.

"Ghost, what is this Pokémon's name?" The referee questioned.

He answered. "Her name is Delveon. She is, technically, a legendary Pokémon." Erika's eyes widened in shock. How long had he been saving this Pokémon for before he unleashed it? How strong was it?! The referee appeared to be scanning it with his pokedex to confirm Ash's story. While the crowd murmured in shock and bewilderment, Ash silently thanked his lucky stars that Lusamine had put in a good word to the good Professor Sycamore in Kalos about Delveon. It took a day or so, but Delveon was successfully registered, with all the data on her put in as well.

The referee nodded and told Erika. "Delveon checks out. It's in the pokedex."

Ash nodded once and Erika did as well. The referee walked back to the center of the stage. "This battle is between Exeggcutor and Delveon! Erika will have first move! Ready… BATTLE BEGIN!"

**AN: Well dang… that was a long chapter! Hope ya'll enjoyed it, this one took me awhile to type, as per usual! Also, I want to thank you guys who have been following and favoriting this story! Why? Because we just hit 400 favorites on the story, and we're nearly at the half-thousand mark in followers! Thank you all SO MUCH! It's such an honor to see my story thriving so much, and it's because of you all that it is!**

**Next chapter will be the round of 32, Ash vs Erika. Delveon will finally have its tournament debut, even before Manectric! What is Ash saving Manectric for? Or, maybe more accurately, **_**who? **_**Ghost and May's relationship looked as though it was finished, but it's still churning along! Ash was understanding about the situation, and in fact, it increased their bond with one another! But will Ash let the traitors off so easy? Will he press onto why the traitors chose to act like they did NOW? Why didn't trip partake in the plan? Too many questions, but all have answers! Come back next time to see Ash vs Erika in round 5 of the tournament!  
**

**If you are new, I do urge you guys to follow and favorite the story! It would mean a lot to me, and if you'd like, leave a review/ PM me! I always get back to responses as long as they aren't guest responses! (If you are a guest, you can still review. I always see it. ****)**

**Thanks for reading everyone, till next time!**

**LegionZ**


	18. Delveon's Dazzling Debut!

**Hi Everyone! Welcome back to Chapter (checks notes) 18 of the Chosen One's Wrath! If you guys are new, please follow and favorite the story! We are (checks notes again) about 15 followers away from the half-century mark! Let's make it happen everyone! Show your support, and let's get the followers to 500!**

**As per usual, let's talk! I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter! It wasn't as rough of a cliffhanger as I usually leave you all on, but it's just to make sure everyone keeps coming back for more! It occurred to me last chapter that I hadn't really included any moments between Ash and May since they got together, so, I had to put that in. Thankfully, last chapter nearly eclipsed 10,000 words, definitely one of my longer chapters. This story is nearing in on 150,000 words, and if I hit 10,000 words, this chapter, I am confirmed to hit 150,000 with this chapter. However, I'm unsure if I will hit it. Guess I'll have to see as I'm typing this. **

**Also, since my last post, I put together a time frame for me to see where the story is overall and how long it should be till everything is all set and done. Here's the scary thing: Even with this being the round of 32 (therefore, assuming Ash makes it all the way, he'll have 4 battles after this one) this story is not even halfway done yet. This is assuming my timeline does not change, and I don't merge chapters together in the timeline. **

**Anyway, just food for thought. That's all I have for this preview, enjoy the chapter! **

_**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 18**_

_Last Chapter…_

_Ghost stood there in disbelief as he saw May and… none other than himself standing there. He fought to find any words to speak._

_Finally, the words came out. "What the…"_

_May exclaimed in a bubbly tone. "Ghost! C-can you believe it?! Ash is alive!"_

_Ghost merely stood there; a stunned look etched all over his handsome face. Ash's doppelganger walked over to him and held out his hand cheerfully. "Hi! My name is Ash Ketchum! It's nice to meet you! My goal is to become a Pokémon master someday!"_

_Ghost was frozen for another moment before he slowly extended his hand and shook his doppelganger's hand. "My name is Ghost. I'm the champion of the Alola region, a pleasure." _

_Ash grinned cheekily and released the handshake. May excitedly said. "I can't believe you came back to me!"_

_Ash held her hands and said softly. "Well of course I would come back to you, I love you!"_

_May whispered. "I… I love you too."_

_Ghost's eyes widened in horror as the two hugged tightly. When the two failed to break their grasps over one another, Ghost finally lost his cool. "So… that's how this is going to be huh?"_

_May looked at Ghost with desperate eyes. "I… I d-don't even know what to say Ghost… I-I'm so sorry that this had had to happen. B-but Ash had been the one I've been yearning for… for years! I couldn't do anything, I couldn't say anything to anyone, a-and if I did… w-who would believe me?!"_

_Ghost stared at her with tears threatening to build and then said. "S-so… w-we're done?" _

_He saw tears in her eyes. "Y-y-yes… we are."_

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_I told you it would work!" Max said proudly, puffing out his chest. _

_There, before them, was May, tied up and gagged, all while sitting on a chair. She had swollen eyes from all the crying she had done. She recognized all the traitors, the ones who had betrayed Ash, all there. Well, all of them except Trip. She wasn't sure where he was, but wherever it was, it wasn't with her. She saw Bonnie helping Max with something in a corner a moment or so later. Cilan walked over to her and smirked. He then removed the gag from her mouth. _

"_I am quite sorry."_

_May spat at him. "Like hell you are."_

_Cilan didn't flinch from her cold gaze. "Honestly, you were never meant to get hurt or injured. The one we intend to harm is your boyfriend… or should I say ex-boyfriend?" At that May let out a growl and fought to get free so she could strangle to green-haired man. He chuckled a little and shook his head at May._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

"_Bonnie is my next opponent!" She claimed proudly._

_Ash shook his head, his eyes wide in bewilderment. "And that is important because?"_

"_Because… if I remember correctly…"_

_She showed Ash the computer after a moment or two, and then, Ash could only widen his eyes as he saw everything he needed to know about the situation. His pink-haired elite was indeed onto something, but there was only one way to find out if their current theory was on the right path, completely on-point, or completely off-point._

"_Are we sure that Bonnie used her Hypno to possible manipulate May and to do this?"_

_Zandra nodded eagerly. "It is possible. If May was being hypnotized, then this makes perfect sense. Her eyes would be light blue, almost glossed over. Bonnie would tell her what to say, and therefore, since Bonnie didn't____know you and May had a conversation about proving Ash, err, you were killed by them all those years ago, then there would be holes in May's story. But the problem is, we don't know where the traitors would be. I don't even think they're stupid enough to use the same hideout twice. How are we going to find them?"_

_"We can always check their old hideout. Hell, maybe they are stupid enough to use it again." Ash shrugged._

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_The referee in the middle of the battlefield announced. "Welcome to the first battle of the round of 32 trainers. This battle is between the Ghost of Alola, and Erika Grassal from Kanto. Each trainer will use three Pokémon, and the battle will be over when all three Pokémon from either side are unable to continue. Furthermore, both sides are permitted to substitute Pokémon. And before we begin, it's time to reveal the newest factor of the ABS, the battlefield randomizer!"_

_Erika raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Ash's eyes widened in horror. He had totally forgotten about Sophocles mentioning that! On all of the big screens, a multi-colored wheel began to spin describing the terrains that could be chosen for the round. The wheel slowly stopped on a light blue wedge of the circle labelled, "Ice."_

_The floor from underneath the two trainers and referee vanished for a moment before an ice battlefield that included high and icy cliffs reappeared. "Without further ado, let the battle begin!"_

_Erika frowned. "It's truly bad fortune to be forced into a brutal battlefield, but I am far from over! Exeggutor, come out!" The standard Exeggutor took the field, crying its name triumphantly before watching it's opponent keenly, waiting to see who Ghost would use as it's opponent. _

_He calmly took out the pokeball on his belt and stared at it. He hadn't planned on using her in this battle, but there was nobody else would held a candle to her on this battlefield; it had to be now. He said calmly. "I need your assistance."_

_The Pokémon materialized, and the audience gasped in surprise. Ash smiled as his watched his newest Pokémon take the field and cry out proudly. "Deeeelllvvveeee!" Erika was stunned as she stared at the beautiful, golden Pokémon. The referee raised an eyebrow, totally unsure of what the Pokémon he was seeing even was._

_"Ghost, what is this Pokémon's name?" The referee questioned. _

_He answered. "Her name is Delveon. She is, technically, a legendary Pokémon." Erika's eyes widened in shock. How long had he been saving this Pokémon for before he unleashed it?_

_Present…_

Erika considered herself to be a very seasoned trainer. She knew a tremendous amount about Pokémon, their weakness', their strength's, etc. However, as her pokedex told her everything she needed to know about Delveon, she could only feel panic building up inside her.

"**Delveon, the Sun God Pokémon, and the Legendary Evolved Form of Eevee. It is said that Delveon were the ancient warriors defending the Pharaoh Pokémon thousands of years ago. In Ancient Times, Delveon was commonly mistaken for Sylveons. Delveon is the only Pokémon known to have the "Sun Type." Sun type moves are Super Effective against Grass, Bug, Dark, Fighting, and Steel Type Pokémon. In addition, No Pokémon moves are super effective against Sun Types." **

Because Ghost had not used this Pokémon in any prior battles, and because this Pokémon was so absurdly rare, she knew nothing about it other than what the pokedex had said to her. She now knew how badly of a disadvantage she was at.

Not only did she have to deal with the battlefield being entirely made up of ice, she now had to deal with a Pokémon that had no type disadvantages against it, and could pack a massive punch against Grass Type Pokémon. She would have to use every piece of knowledge in her arsenal of tricks to beat this Pokémon. Then, a horrible thought came over her: what if she beat it, and ran into _another _mythical Pokémon under the possession of this freakishly powerful champion? She didn't even want to think about that.

Instead, she called out the first move. "Exeggutor, begin by drilling your legs into the ice! Stabilize yourself! Then, use Egg Bomb!" She ordered.

The grass type roared and drilled it's legs into the ice, then it charged up an explosive attack. Ash knew what to do. "Use Calm Mind, quick!" Delveon swiftly was able to boost its Special Attack and defense, but then found itself getting thrown backwards by an explosion. However, as Ash had predicted, because Calm Mind had been used as a buffer, Egg Bomb really didn't do more than a few bumps and bruises of damage.

In Erika's mind, a hit was a hit. "Good! Now use Leaf Storm! Blow it away!" She waved her arm horizontally, and Exeggutor whipped up a stream of sharp leaves for a moment or two before crying out its name loudly and firing them at the Sun-Type. Ash countered. "Delveon, move out of the way, then build momentum and use your feelers to navigate the ice!" Delveon obeyed it's trainer, barely avoiding the torrent of leaves before it began to skate around the Grass and Psychic type rapidly. Ash ordered. "Get in close!"

Erika frowned. "Use Egg Bomb!"

Ash cursed. "Delveon, get out of there!" It was too late though, Delveon was thrown off its path by an explosion coming from its opponent. Erika kept pressing. "Now! Use Egg Bomb again!" Exeggutor hurled another egg towards it's opponent, and Ash thought quickly. "Quickly! Get up and skate right at Exeggutor!"

Using it's honed agility that Ash had so keenly trained to complement Delveon's titanic special attack stat, Delveon was able to escape the blast and get on a direct path right to Exeggutor. Erika frowned. "Wood Hammer!" The Pokémon's head glowed green, and it swung at Delveon just as it got into range. **(AN: I have no idea how to describe an Exeggutor uses Wood Hammer since it literally has no arms, so just roll with it.) **

Erika thought she was going to land another direct shot, and she likely would've, if she had known one of Delveon's secret moves. "Now! Aegis Defense!" Delveon leapt off the skating ice, and in one fluid motion, crossed it's feelers in the form of an "X" in front of it, shielding itself from all damage. Then, surprising everyone in the stadium, it let out a battle cry as it used its feelers to grab Exeggutor out from the ice by latching onto it's one leg! Erika gasped in shock. Ash ordered. "Now! Drag it!" Using the strength it had gained from the Wood Hammer and Aegis Defense, **(AN: Remember, Aegis Defense can give the user more power depending on the strength of the move used,) **it began to drag Exeggutor across the ice at a blinding pace. Erika cried out. "Q-quick! Hit it with Egg Bomb!"

"No No No! Keep its aim off!" Delveon made a quick cut, causing Exeggutor to swivel around, back still dragging against the ice. The attack was fired, but as Ash predicted, it missed blindly. It was time to make a move. "Drag it through the ice boulders!" Erika's eyes widened, her stance changing to one of fear. She could only watch as her faithful Pokémon was grinded up against the icy boulders like swiss cheese.

Delveon continued the onslaught. Ash noticed it's strength wearing out, and he decided to give Delveon a small breather. He ordered. "Now! Give it a spin and throw it!" Delveon skated in a circle, using the last bits of strength it had acquired from Aegis Defense and Wood Hammer to skate without needing it's feelers. Then, it gave out a loud cry before letting go of Exeggutor, who flew through the air for a second or two before smashing into an icy boulder.

Exeggutor got up slowly, but Erika could tell that the grass type had taken a beating from all those icy boulders. Delveon was panting, not from damage, but rather from some level of exhaustion from dragging Exeggutor around for a good minute or so.

Erika knew she needed to take control of this, and quickly. She ordered. "Alright Exeggutor! Plant your feet!"

The grass type obeyed.

"Now use Hypnosis!"

The attack was sent at Delveon, and Ash simply ordered. "Calm Mind." Erika raised an eyebrow, he was risking Delveon's health by improving it's stats? What could he be up to? Delveon did successfully raise its stats, but then, the eerie attack connected with it. Erika nodded once, satisfied that the attack had indeed connected. But then, she took another look and paled when she saw Delveon standing there, a content smile on its face, and most certainly not asleep by any means.

"But how…" She murmured.

"Delveon's ability." She heard from across the field. She saw Ghost calling out to her. It wasn't in a mocking tone whatsoever, it just sounded… informative.

"Mythical Barrier: It's a very useful ability." He chuckled.

Erika frowned. "Care to enlighten your opponent?"

Ghost grinned. "I suppose it will do me no harm any further, besides, it _is _sportsmanlike. Mythical Barrier is an ability that converts certain moves into a simple Heal Pulse."

The Grass-Gym Leader cocked her head ever-so-slightly to the side in curiosity. "Which moves would those be Mr. Champion?"

"Any move that's primary incentive is to give Delveon a status condition. An example would be Hypnosis, since its sole intention is to put Delveon to sleep. Or, for example, Poison Powder. Other moves that would have the same effect could be Thunder Wave, Confuse Ray, or Will-o-Wisp. However, moves such as Dizzy Punch, Thunderbolt, Fire Fang and Blizzard would not fall under this category."

Erika paused before answering. "So you're saying that Delveon can still receive status conditions, but it can only be from moves that have a _chance _to inflict that certain status condition to Delveon. So Dizzy Punch can still confuse Delveon, since it has a chance to leave it's opponent confused, and since its primary intention was to deal damage, Mythical Barrier doesn't apply here?"

"Precisely. That is why I simply ordered Delveon to take the move: It's been healed up to the maximum now, and it's been given two free chances to boost its Special Attack and Special defense." Erika paled; this was not good.

"… Leaf Storm!" She cried out. The move was launched towards Delveon, and Ash just sighed and shook his head. "Let's give them a dose of true Power Delveon! Sun Beam!" The Eeveeolution nodded at her trainer before it's rainbow-colored orb on its head glowed brightly, shining multiple colors of the rainbow. Then, a small orb formed in its mouth. Delveon cried out loudly before the orb in its mouth formed larger and larger, turning yellow, to almost pure-white. Then, with a triumphant cry, it fired off the blast just a moment before the leaves connected with it. The ray of light scorched the leaves in milliseconds. Erika barely had time to react before a blinding explosion leveled the Ice field. The ray had lit up Exeggutor perfectly, courtesy of Delveon's pinpoint accuracy. Erika rubbed her eyes for a moment before crying out in horror.

"E-Exeggutor! No!" After a moment, the smoke cleared, and there was Exeggutor, lying face up on the ice, legs thankfully still intact, swirls in its eyes. The referee needed no more hints. He raised a flag. "Exeggutor is unable to battle, Delveon wins!"

_Elite Box…_

"That sure is a powerful Pokémon Ash is using! What strength it has!" Axel said in surprise. He knew very well that if he won his next battle, he would almost certainly have to face the legendary Cynthia Shirona. He was not looking forward to that, but to make matters even worse, if he _somehow _managed to beat Cynthia, he'd have to go against Ghost. There was no doubt in his mind that Ghost was going to make it to the end of his bracket, nobody could stop him. The fact that he had never _officially_ faced Ghost scared him to the core. What other tricks was Ghost hiding up his sleeve?

"I wonder why Ghost opted to use Delveon now?" Zandra wondered aloud.

"I suspected he would wait until facing off against a traitor before using her." July murmured.

Xavier chuckled at them. "It's obvious girls."

Zandra narrowed her eyes at him, a move that would've made most men flinch right on the spot. He knew better, though. "Care to explain smartass?"

He chuckled. "Nah, I'd rather not."

Zandra growled and muttered. "Why you…"

"Cram it ladies. Erika is sending out her next Pokémon!" Axel interrupted, annoyed that his fellow elites were bickering. Xavier smirked and turned away, while Zandra stuck her tongue out at him in response.

_Battlefield…_

Erika studied the Pokémon in front of her and kept tally of all its moves. Two of these moves she knew nothing of: Aegis Defense, and Sun Beam. Calm Mind was one of its other moves, but what was its last one? She smiled at Ghost and spoke to him.

"I want to thank you for this battle. You're truly going to push me to my limits this battle, it's been forever since I had to fight like this. So, let's continue! Roserade, come out!"

The Pokémon materialized, and Ash frowned. He had battled against a tactic like most Roserades had, and this move didn't make much sense. Poison Powder would have no effect on Delveon whatsoever, so unless she had a different plan…

"Trainer! Will you stick with Delveon?" The referee hollered at Ash.

"Yes. I will." He responded.

Erika nodded once and the referee called out. "Battle commence!"

Erika commanded. "Toxic Spikes!"

Ash nodded to himself. _That _move made sense. But he'd soon throw the move at her face. The toxic spikes were layered everywhere. Erika nodded and commanded at her Pokémon. "Let's use Magical Leaf!" Rainbow leaves were stirred up around the Grass and Poison type. Then, lowering its arm, the leaves were launched at the eeveeolution.

Ash called out. "Fry them with Sun Beam, quick!"

The two moves cancelled one another out**, **causing a massive explosion to level the field. Ash ordered. "Aegis Defense, quickly!"

The move surprised Erika, who hadn't foreseen Ghost to call out the move. Delveon looked confused before nodding, it's feelers glowing golden. To everyone's surprise, with the lone exception of Ghost, the dust and smoke was abruptly blown away to reveal Roserade hovering in midair, ready to launch an attack! The audience gasped in surprise as Rosereade launched a Poison Sting attack at Delveon. However, because Ghost had commanded her touse Aegis Defense, Delveon launched herself towards the attack and plowed through all of the Poison Sting attacks.

To Erika's horror, Delveon's feelers had completely protected it from the move, and it didn't stop from sailing right towards Roserade, who was still hovering in midair from leaping into the smoke. Delveon grabbed Roserade with it's feelers, and then proceeded to toss Roserade into the ground forcefully.

Erika gritted her teeth; this Pokémon was truly powerful! She had to figure out a way to get Delveon out of the picture, or else there was no way she was winning this fight. If Poison Sting didn't work… An idea racked her brain.

"Now! Try Poison Sting again!"

Ash frowned. What was Erika doing?

"Aegis Defense." Delveon rushed towards Roserade, feelers glowing golden. The move was countered, and Erika saw her chance. It was now or never. "Quickly! Use Leaf Storm!"

Ash's eyes widened. He hadn't seen that coming. He yelled. "Delveon, get out of there!" It was too late though. Erika had played Delveon and Ghost. She knew her one shot was to try and overwhelm the seemingly unbreakable defense move. Delveon knew this was coming, and also knew it was unavoidable. Regardless of that it wasn't very effective, it wasn't the power that was the only that affected if Aegis defense was successful: it was if the move could overwhelm Aegis Defense.

Leaf storm checked off this box. The move swarmed Delveon, slicing into its HP and tossed it backwards, cuts and bruises all over. Ash grit his teeth together as he watched Delveon get on its feet slowly. This being its first official battle, Delveon wasn't as battle-hardened as the rest of his crew. He could see that, even though she was a legendary, the moves she had used as well as the damage she had taken had worn her down.

Ash suddenly had a realization flicker over him. Then, he grinned. He knew what to do: he was about to completely flip the script.

"Delveon, Return!"

Ash held out Delveon's pokeball, and she returned to it with a flash of red.. Erika raised an eyebrow, what was he doing?

_Ash's Elite Box…_

"So his Goal is to get all his Pokémon poisoned? That's his end target? Why would he swap Delveon out? She could definitely still battle!" July said in bewilderment.

Xavier just laughed at them. "You guys really aren't thinking clearly enough."

Zandra groaned. "Enough with all these stupid riddles! How about you just _tell _us?"

Axel shrugged. "He's probably got a steel type Pokémon on hand, after all, they're completely immune to Poison."

Zandra then shook her head. "Not possible. Unless Ghost has randomly gotten a new Pokémon, he's got no steel types whatsoever. He doesn't have a Pokémon type that can help against Poison type moves."

Xavier laughed again. "Man you guys aren't the brightest. Of course Ghost is switching out and avoiding getting poisoned!" Axel looked incredulous at his friend. "A-are you listening to yourself?"

Xavier just smirked. He knew what Ash's plan was.

July shook her head. "Every other type of Pokémon can get poisoned." She frowned to herself, what was Ash up to? He couldn't evade getting Poisoned… unless…

She cried out. "That's it!"

_Battlefield…_

"Trainer, send out you next Pokémon!"

Ash smirked and said. "Charizard, I need your assistance."

Erika felt her blood run cold as the fire-type took the field. It soared above the battlefield, wings flapping. It let out a roar of dominance. And Erika could do nothing but watch in horror as Toxic Spikes failed to affect Charizard. Ash had used his quick thinking brain to avoid taking any poison damage.

Ash chuckled at Erika's horrified reaction. "Trust me, you had me worried there for a moment. But this battle is over now; Charizard, prepare yourself." 

The referee yelled. "Battle Commence!"

Ash would end this swiftly. "Flamethrower!"

The large stream of fire was sent towards Erika's grass type, and she immediately called out. "Evade!"

Leaping backwards, Roserade was able to avoid taking any damage. Erika shouted. "Use Poison Sting!"

Ash smirked. It was time for the finishing move. "Charizard, charge towards it!" The fire and flying type Pokémon flew towards the poison type attack. Erika raised an eyebrow at the Pokémon in surprise, knowing what would happen if the move hit. Ash ordered. "Now, spin and use steel wing! Create a shield!"

Erika watched in disbelief as Charizard began spinning at a rapid pace while in midair, all the way to the point where it was like watching a raging cyclone rapidly rumble towards a helpless figure. As Ash predicted, the steel type move deflected the poison darts and left Roserade wide open for an attack. And of course, with it being a grass type…

"Flamethrower! End this!"

Erika knew at the range Roserade was from Charizard, there was no chance for it to evade the stream of fire. Charizard let out a bellow before unleashing the blast of flames from its mouth. Roserade had a look of horror on its face as the flamethrower connected with it. An explosion leveled the ice type field. Roserade had been fortunate enough to not have to worry about slipping and sliding around thanks to its admirable agility and skill, but it had no defense or special defense to help it against super effective moves. When the smoke cleared, it was no surprise to see Roserade lying on the ground, swirls in its eyes, and it's mouth slightly ajar.

"Roserade is unable to battle! Charizard wins!"

Erika sighed sadly. She knew Ghost was powerful, and she knew he was arguably the top trainer in the tournament, but his tactics were both overwhelming and random. It made him impossible to predict, and if you couldn't predict his movements, and you couldn't overwhelm his strength, you were set up to lose. She returned Roserade with a sad smile. "You did your best."

She unclipped her final pokeball and tossed it up into the air wordlessly, her sad smile still etched upon her face. The Pokémon materialized. "Taaaannngrrooowwth!" The Pokémon bellowed. Ghost appeared to raise an eyebrow before he said.

"Charizard… Return." The champion said. The audience gasped in surprise, Charizard hadn't even sustained damage! Erika too looked rather confused by the decision. Ghost spoke up from the other end of the battlefield. "Leader Erika, I sense your confusion. It is not ill-placed, but allow me to clear it."

He announced. "Delveon, I need your assistance!"

The Sun-Type took the field, crying out its name proudly. Erika gave Ghost a curious look before her eyes widened in horror as she came to a horrible realization. The crowd watched as the Toxic Spikes ripped through the ice to hit Delveon. Then, the audience could only gasp as Delveon let out a happy sigh of relief.

Erika looked up at Ghost in a mix of shock and horror. The smirk never left his face.

_Ash's Elite Box…_

"Wow… what an ingenious tactic!" Axel exclaimed softly.

Xavier chuckled. "I told you I knew what he was doing. His Pokémon's ability heals itself when it comes into contact with a move whose sole purpose is to give a Pokémon a status condition. In this case, the only thing Toxic Spikes does is Poison Pokémon. Therefore, Toxic Spikes wouldn't actually Poison Delveon…"

"… It would heal her." Zandra finished.

"I'll admit… I didn't see that coming in the slightest." July admitted with the slightest of smiles plastered on her gorgeous face.

_Battlefield…_

The referee lowered his flags and yelled. "Battle continue!"

Erika spoke. "Ghost, thank you for a wonderful battle. I know it is beyond my reach to emerge victorious, but I shall never give in, not until the bitter end! Tangrowth, use Sunny Day to begin!" The grass type nodded before crying out its name and allowing the sun to shine brightly down on the icy field. Ash could make out the ice melting in some spots.

'_For the most part… Smart decision… she knew the icy battlefield would be the end of Tangrowth, who can't move very…' _

Ash suddenly paused, deep in thought for a moment. He grinned after a moment; things were beginning to add up. And if he played his hand right, he could truly end this battle in one, simple move. He called out. "Delveon, Calm Mind." The sun-type Pokémon nodded once more and closed its eyes, regaining its complete focus and gaining special attack and defense. Ash ordered. "Now, prepare yourself."

Erika hadn't heard him say that command, though. "Tangrowth, use Earthquake!"

The ground began to shake underneath the grass-type, and Ash ordered his counter. "Let's show them what we've been practicing! Balance yourself using your feelers!" Delveon steadied itself by drilling its feelers into the ground and steadying itself. Unfortunately for Ash, as it seemed as though Erika had known this would happen.

"Now is our chance! Grab its legs with Power Whip!" In the blink of an eye, Tangrowth was beside Delveon, causing the crowd to gasp in surprise. Ash's elites stood up as they witnessed Tangrowth's seemingly raw speed. The only ones who were unfazed were Erika's opponent and Erika's opponent's Pokémon.

Ash smirked.

"Nice Try."

Then, all of the sudden, Tangrowth exploded and was sent flying backwards. The audience stood up and roared as the tournament favorite struck a decisive blow without even ordered a command. Erika was bewildered. Ash merely smirked at her, knowing very well what he had done, and yet, failed to tell his confused opponent.

_Ash's Elite Box…_

"That strategy he used is crazy. How did he know it would work there though?" Xavier mentioned, sounding legitimately curious.

Axel explained. "I think Ghost's plan changed when Tangrowth began the fight by using Sunny Day. Tangrowth's ability, to my knowledge, is commonly Chlorophyll, which allows the Pokémon to move swifter while the sun is high in the sky. Ghost knew that when the move got used, and planned for it."

Zandra countered that with a frown on her face. "If that's the case, why did he use Calm Mind? Tangrowth is a heavy, physical attacker. That move choice makes no sense."

July smiled. "That move we just saw, it was Psystrike. Ghost knew Tangrowth would use Earthquake as an opening to rush, so, using the practice Ghost mentioned right there, which was using Delveon's feelers to balance itself, all while implanting Psystrike into the crowd as a trap for when Tangrowth saw an opening. That whole sequence is something only Ghost could pull off."

"Well… that's why he's the best." Axel replied and kissed his girlfriend.

_Battlefield…_

As Tangrowth slowly got to its feet thanks to its commendable effort, Ghost called across the field to Erika. "That was an improvised Psystrike, Ms. Gym Leader." She looked at the man with mixed emotions. There was little doubt in her mind that this trainer would win the tournament. His tactics, his strategies, his raw power, and his Pokémon… they were just off the charts in terms of… well… everything.

She knew Psystrike was not meant to be used like that. It was meant to surround the Pokémon and then attack. He had a plan for everything. He knew why she had used Sunny Day; he knew how to sell the trap… it was seemingly hopeless. She hadn't the foggiest idea why this trainer had gone around so quietly, he was truly powerful, and had an endless reservoir of strategies to back it up.

"There is no shame in admitting defeat when the time is right." A voice called up from across the way. Ghost was once again speaking to her.

"We both know Tangrowth cannot defeat my entire team. Sometimes, defeat is the right move. Do not be ashamed to concede for the greater good of your Pokémon." Ghost said. Erika bit her lip, knowing she was caught in a pickle. Tangrowth did look like it was beaten and battered, and it had only been hit with one attack!

"Let me point something else out to you…" He pointed up to the sky, indicating the Sunny Day was still in full effect. "Delveon's move Sun Beam increases its power when the sun is high in the sky. As you can see… Sunny Day is about to backfire." Delveon, meanwhile, had its rainbow orb on its head shining brightly, glowing multiple colors. Ash continued his pitch. "At the state your Tangrowth is in, Chlorophyll's speed boost won't be able to save Tangrowth. You know this. You and your Pokémon have fought valiantly, Ms. Gym Leader. Make the right call here."

Erika looked at her Pokémon, who looked back curiously. After a moment, she decided.

"Thank you for the opportunity to battle you Ghost. I will gratefully forfeit the fight." The crowd exploded into cheers as the referee announced.

"Erika Grassal has forfeited the fight for the sake of her Pokémon! Therefore, the winners of the match are Delveon, and her trainer, Ghost!"

The entire crowd was on its feet, applauding the great battle, Ghost for his kindness, and Erika for choice to end the battle she clearly couldn't win. She and Tangrowth walked over to Ghost and Delveon, who met them at the middle of the battlefield. The ice had all melted away by this point, so there was no fear of slipping in front of the masses. Ghost had a small grin on his face.

"Do not be mistaken. You admitted defeat not for a loss of honor, but rather for your Pokémon's safety. I commend you." Ghost held out his hand, and Erika shook it daintily. "Defeat still leaves a taste of bitterness in my mouth, sad to say." Erika said, a sad smile on her face.

"You were faced with overwhelming odds at the start. The Ice battlefield did nothing to help you. Yet you battled valiantly until the end, and saved your partner's wellbeing. There is nothing to be bitter about."

Delveon held out one of its feelers to Tangrowth, who responded by grasping it with a vine.

"Tan!" The Pokémon good-naturedly said.

"Del-ve!" Ash's Pokémon chirped back. Erika gave Ghost one last statement. "I would wish you good luck in this tournament Ghost, but you'd hardly need it." She then turned and motioned for her Pokémon to follow her. She waved politely to the crowd, who cheered and applauded her decision once more. Ash walked back to his side and got one knee, his held down low. This got more cheers to erupt from the stadium.

Delveon was doing her best to mimic her trainer, and somewhat succeeding. After a moment, he murmured.

"For those that have past… and for those yet to come."

His Pokémon responded. "Del-veoonnn…"

Ash pushed himself to his feet, and then Delveon mimicked her trainer. She expected the familiar feeling of being returned to her pokeball, but it never came. "Not this time Delveon. This was your debut. You get to stay out as we walk out of the battlefield. Listen to the roars and cheers, they're for you."

Ash motioned for Delveon to follow, who did so. She listened to the cries from the humans, smiling to herself as she walked out of the stadium, Ghost by her side.

_Three Days later… Sorry for the kinda short battle btw…_

"And Bonnie Citron finds herself down to her final Pokémon, with Zandra the Ruthless possessing all three of hers! Is there any hope for a comeback?" The announcer boomed throughout the stadium. Ash sat in his elite box, arm around May with a small grin on his face. He could see the growing despair in the eyes of Bonnie, who was down to her final Pokémon, ironically, the same Pokémon that had been used to deceive May.

"This battle is down to Bonnie's Hypno against Zandra's Aurorus! That being said, this has been the definition of a one-sided fight, with Zandra's Swampert taking out both of Bonnie's first two Pokémon! Does she have any chance to take down the elite who threatens her spot in the tournament?"

Ash chuckled at that statement. "I think we all know the answer to that question."

Everyone in the box replied at the same time. "Nope."

Xavier chuckled and said. "Ghost, aren't you-" He was cut off from continuing by July, who smacked him upside the head. He complained. "Ouch! What was that for Jules?" She frowned. "Don't call me that. And to answer your question, need I remind you…" She darted her eyes rapidly twice to May, who was thankfully and blissfully unaware of the situation that had occurred so close to her.

His mouth formed an "O" shape and he nodded in understanding. July muttered under her breath. "Classic Xavier…" She took her seat again, and watched the battle with uncaring eyes. It was beyond obvious that Bonnie had no chance.

She used this time to ponder the upcoming battles, and what would happen with them. In the past few days, the majority of battles had already come and gone. In the Arceus Bracket, July had been the first to go. She had been warned by Ash never to underestimate Paul, and she discarded it. To her shock, he had bested her in a one on one to finish the fight, and to the elite's disbelief, they lost July early to the Round of 32.

That wasn't the only shocker that had come in the round of 32 in the Arceus Bracket, though. To even the surprise of one champion of the Alola Region, Abel had defeated Steven Stone, the champion of Hoenn. It was a close fight by all standards, but in the end, it was the young boy from Hoenn that had conquered his own champion. That had to be a confidence booster and a half for Abel, who was still very much underrated in the tournament as a competitor.

Max, meanwhile, had defeated his opponent Scarlett by the skin of his teeth. He had squeaked by with his last Pokémon, but this was what Ash wanted. He wanted the little runt to make it further and further into the tournament just so he could absolutely pummel him in the later rounds. At the same time though… that would require that Max could somehow do all of the following in order to keep going: Beat Wulfric, who had pulled off the upset and knocked off Bug and drunk-partier Aaron to advance, and then have to face either Paul or Abel in the round of 8. Ash was stunned he had made it so far, but then again, he had yet to face anyone truly dangerous in the eyes of Ash. Still, as much as Ash hoped Max would lose, he hoped the brat would make it to him, just so he could drill him into the dirt.

In the Zekrom bracket, As-_ahem_-Ghost, knocked off Erika without too much trouble at all. Delveon's dazzling debut had gone over as well as possible, and to everyone who had watched her, it was clear she was prepared to be a full-time starter in Ghost's crew. He, for one, agreed with them profusely. Delveon was happy about this as well.

Falkner had taken down Bobby Johanson with a surprising amount of ease, however, Ash wasn't concerned about that battle in the slightest, since he only specialized in flying Pokémon. What _did _concern Ash was how a gym leader which didn't have the most prestige had wormed his way through the first few rounds of battle. Hell, there had been 512 people to start; there was no way he should've still been in the tournament without a good reason.

Unlike his girlfriend, Axel mowed his way through his battle. He dominated all three of Bella's Pokémon, and in overwhelming fashion, swept all three of her Pokémon without losing one of his. He advanced to the next round, leaving no doubt that he deserved to be in the spot he was in, though is opponent had shed some tears upon the defeat.

The issue for Axel, though, was that he found himself head to head against Cynthia Shirona, Aunt of Ariana Shirona, Ghost's first opponent in the tournament. Even Ghost had his doubt's for if he could pull off a shocker and upset the Sinnoh Champion. Everyone had zero doubt Ghost would squash Falkner, so it was just a competition to see who would be Ghost's opponent in the top 8: the beautiful Sinnoh champion, whose niece was already crushed under the might of the Alola champion? Or, would it be one of Ghost's right hand men, one of the troopers he handpicked for combat, and one of those who had gained the trust of the one who could not trust anyone?

In non-surprising fashion, Alder had also defeated his own gym leader Clay, but Excadrill had managed to knock out Accelgor before falling to the Unova champion. It fought valiantly against its superior, but in the end, it didn't matter. Still, a top 32 placement from the gruff gym leader was nothing to be ashamed of.

Clemont was quite disappointed to hear his girlfriend had failed to knock out the player, Xavier himself, from the tournament. However, he was happily surprised to hear she had successfully knocked out not one but two of his Pokémon. She had been crushed by the loss, but she had been consoled by Xavier, who approved of her fighting tactics, battle spirit, and overall Pokémon. She cheered up a little after that.

To fuel Ash's curiosity about the green haired boy who had acted as the ringleader of the betrayal, that said boy easily beat his opponent named Kung-yo Sin without dropping a single one of his Pokémon. He knew this was going to be interesting if nobody stopped him soon. Word was, Trip was beginning to drift away from the group. It would be interesting to see what happened with him down the road.

And of course, Malva, ex-Team Flare and now Xavier's target for "New Flame" as he put it **(AN: Hahaha thought that was a little funny,) **had continued in the tournament, though that really came to the surprise of nobody. Xavier was particularly more giddy after he had found this little piece of information out, and Ash just sent him a dirty stare to shut him up. It was no secret within the elites that Ash still disliked Malva due to her past with Team Flare. That wasn't leaving anytime soon, but Malva would play off against Trip, which was bound to be an interesting battle.

Finally came the Giratina Bracket. Koga Briarwood, Elite from the Johto/Kanto Region, had knocked off Gym Leader Candice from Sinnoh, but not without a little trouble. The energetic girl managed to surprisingly knock out two of his Pokémon before falling in battle. This totally came as a surprise to the competitors, including Koga himself. Ash didn't frankly consider him a threat anymore, and had confidence that his next opponent would knock him out of the tournament.

And that someone was none other than Gary Oak. Gary had utterly crushed Samantha Johnson in battle with only his Blastoise. It had been a complete slaughter. He advanced easily, and would take on an elite, a much more suitable challenge. However, Ash's mind was made up: Gary Oak would defeat Koga handily, his prediction was 3-1, obviously, in Gary's favor.

After that had been Champion Lance, Zandra's main squeeze (Maybe?) and tournament favorite against Sally Redawl, a quiet and conservative woman with a nasty group of Psychic Type Pokémon. Fortunately for Lance, his team was powerful enough to slice through her core and take her down 3-1. The interesting part about this, though, wasn't that he beat Sally, it was who he would have to battle as long as she won…

"Hypno is unable to battle! The winner is Aurorus! And therefore, the winner of the battle and the trainer moving onto the Sweet 16 is Zandra the Ruthless!" July nearly fell out of her seat, how could Zandra have won so quickly!? She had only been in her daydream state for a couple of seconds!

Axel noticed his girlfriend's stunned posture and raised an eyebrow. "Something up?"

She blinked and stared at him. "H-How long did she take to finish that fight?"

Axel scratched his head. "Maybe a few minutes? Her Hypno wouldn't stop using Hypnosis, after all. It took a bit for Zandra to find a strategy."

_"Oops…" _July thought sheepishly. Ash was clapping for his elite, and then he noticed the two walking to greet each other in the middle of the battlefield. He watched keenly to see what would happen.

Zandra walked up to the girl wearing a black dress with a hint or two of pink. It strapped onto her waist tightly, and she had matching black stockings. Her pink hair was flowing behind her back, and her blue eyes stared at Bonnie critically. The other girl stared right back, attempting to look the least bit intimidated.

Zandra snorted. "How did you even get this far in the tournament? That was a breeze."

Bonnie fired back. "It's all luck."

Zandra chuckled. "You got that right- Luck was the only reason you got the chance to battle me. You're a disgrace of a trainer, who had the nerve to hypnotize another person to control their actions. You should be ashamed of yourself."

Bonnie growled under her breath and took another step towards Zandra. She was then cut off as her faithful Glaceon stepped in the way, cutting her off entirely. The Pokémon gave a warning growl to the blonde, daring her to come closer. Bonnie opted to ignore it, and tried to walk past the Glaceon. That wasn't the smartest of moves. Glaceon ferociously pushed back against Bonnie, sending her to the turf in front of thousands of people. The crowd gasped in surprise, and Bonnie stood swiftly to try and direct attention away from her.

The referee ran over and yelled. "Hey! What's going on here!?"

Zandra cast Bonnie a smirk. "Bonnie here was just leaving, as was I. Thank you for taking the time to judge our battle. I appreciate it, have a good day." Zandra could practically see the steam coming out of Bonnie's ears, and it was only music to hers. Today, she had won not just for herself, but for Ash too. He deserved this win. If he couldn't be the one to drive Bonnie into the ground, then she'd have to do a damn fine job of taking his place.

And for as much she could tell, she did just that.

_That Night… _

Ash was in his room, deep in thought. He was pondering what he was going to about the rest of the traitors. On one hand, part of him honestly wanted to forgive them for what they did… regardless of the fact that they tried to take his life with malicious intent. Still, he couldn't stop thinking that the reason they had was so… stupid. There had to be something else that he could do to battle them.

The problem was, he was fairly certain that he'd need help, and he couldn't take everything on there without at least a little bit of backup. That left him with a difficult choice or two to make. He pictured the upcoming battles in his mind:

**Arceus Bracket:**

**Paul Jackson vs Abel Winchine (1)**

**Max Maple vs Wulfric Aaron Readkin (2)**

**Zekrom Bracket:**

**Ghost vs Falkner Corsto (1)**

**Axel Fractera vs Cynthia Shirona (2)**

**Yvetal Bracket:**

**Alder Forevaborn vs Xavier Blackmon (1)**

**Trip Craggier vs Malva Keenfire (2)**

**Giratina Bracket:**

**Koga Briarwood vs Gary Oak (1)**

**Lance Dragonwright vs Zandra Polisik (2)**

The issue was that he couldn't picture July running the region on her own for a little bit, and because the rest of the elites were in the tournament, he'd have to talk with them to see if they could help him out. He pictured himself against Abel in the Semi-Finals. He mentally scolded himself for being so confident, but it was just how he was. He knew nobody could beat him for at least another round or two. After that, it would really start getting difficult. He knew what he was going to likely have to have to do soon.

He wasn't exactly sure how his elites would take it, but he knew the obstacle that was going to be facing him in the face in just days, hours, or even minutes.

It was time.

He was going to do it.

He was going to reveal himself to May.

He was going to reveal himself to Paul and Gary.

The question was, who else would he reveal himself to?

**AN: Sorry for the delay guys. I know ya'll expect an upload once a month, and unfortunately this one came out six days late. So again, my apologies. Also, thanks ya'll so much for 500 followers on this story! You boys out there are the best! Thanks for sticking around and seeing what happens for the story, it honestly means a ton to me as a writer to see this story get so much support. **

**Ash is about to reveal himself? When? And to who? Maybe another question that could be asked is, **_**why now? **_**All that should be answered… in the next chapter. Stay tuned. **

**I hope to have the next chapter out in a month's time. Again, this is me we're talking about, so anything is possible I suppose. Next chapter will also break the 150k mark! How about that, right!? If you're new, please follow and favorite the story and myself to stay up to date with my posts! Feel free to message me if you have any questions!**

**Thanks so much for reading guys. Till next time! **

**LegionZ**


	19. Power Play

**Hey everyone! Welcome back to the story, and a huge milestone to this dynamic fanfiction. This chapter I will hit 150,000 words! I know! It's unbelievable to think I came this far with this story with this amount of devotion. And speaking of devotion, to those who have been with me since the start, thank you so much. I love each and every one of ya'll! **

**I'm more than just a little relieved I was able to follow through on my promise, so thanks for everyone for sticking with me. **

**There's just one or two things below I need to address, and that should be it. You all have waited patiently enough for me, so I won't delay you much more. As a thank you for waiting nearly two months longer than my usual upload time, I hope you enjoy my **_**longest chapter EVER!**_ **Please follow, favorite, and review the story! Let's keep the grind up boys!**

**Before I go any further, I want to address a review I got from a guest. As you all know, while I always respond to reviews and PM's from people with FF accounts, I do not respond to guest reviews unless I have a very good reason to do so. One of those reasons came up this past chapter, and I wanted to give a direct shoutout to ****Marine Cpl. Shippee**** for taking the time to review on my story. **

**I don't generally do shoutouts like this, but I want you to know that I respect you for the sacrifices you make every single day to defend your country, and those people that take those sacrifices for granted don't deserve you. Whether or not your review was legit, thank you for your service. Words can't describe the thanks I feel because of you, and all people like you, and what you give up to us every single day. **

**This is the least I can do for those who risk their lives every day for us **

_**This chapter is for you Corporal.**_

_**Let us Begin.**_

_**LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 19**_

_Last Chapter…_

_As Tangrowth slowly got to its feet thanks to its commendable effort, Ghost called across the field to Erika. "That was an improvised Psystrike, Ms. Gym Leader." She looked at the man with mixed emotions. There was little doubt in her mind that this trainer would win the tournament. His tactics, his strategies, his raw power, and his Pokémon… they were just off the charts in terms of… well… everything. _

_She knew Psystrike was not meant to be used like that. It was meant to surround the Pokémon and then attack. He had a plan for everything. He knew why she had used Sunny Day; he knew how to sell the trap… it was seemingly hopeless. She hadn't the foggiest idea why this trainer had gone around so quietly, he was truly powerful, and had an endless reservoir of strategies to back it up._

_"There is no shame in admitting defeat when the time is right." A voice called up from across the way. Ghost was once again speaking to her. _

"_We both know Tangrowth cannot defeat my entire team. Sometimes, defeat is the right move. Do not be ashamed to concede for the greater good of your Pokémon." Ghost said. Erika bit her lip, knowing she was caught in a pickle. Tangrowth did look like it was beaten and battered, and it had only been hit with one attack!_

"_Let me point something else out to you…" He pointed up to the sky, indicating the Sunny Day was still in full effect. "Delveon's move Sun Beam increases its power when the sun is high in the sky. As you can see… Sunny Day is about to backfire." Delveon, meanwhile, had its rainbow orb on its head shining brightly, glowing multiple colors. Ash continued his pitch. "At the state your Tangrowth is in, Chlorophyll's speed boost won't be able to save Tangrowth. You know this. You and your Pokémon have fought valiantly, Ms. Gym Leader. Make the right call here."_

_Erika looked at her Pokémon, who looked back curiously. After a moment, she decided. _

"_Thank you for the opportunity to battle you Ghost. I will gratefully forfeit the fight." The crowd exploded into cheers as the referee announced._

"_Erika Grassal has forfeited the fight for the sake of her Pokémon! Therefore, the winners of the match are Delveon, and her trainer, Ghost!" _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Ash was in his room, deep in thought. He was pondering what he was going to about the rest of the traitors. On one hand, part of him honestly wanted to forgive them for what they did… regardless of the fact that they tried to take his life with malicious intent. Still, he couldn't stop thinking that the reason they had was so… stupid. There had to be something else that he could do to battle them. _

_The problem was, he was fairly certain that he'd need help, and he couldn't take everything on there without at least a little bit of backup. That left him with a difficult choice or two to make. He pictured the upcoming battles in his mind: _

_**Arceus Bracket:**_

_**Paul Jackson vs Abel Winchine (1)**_

_**Max Maple vs Wulfric Aaron Readkin (2)**_

_**Zekrom Bracket:**_

_**Ghost vs Falkner Corsto (1)**_

_**Axel Fractera vs Cynthia Shirona (2)**_

_**Yvetal Bracket:**_

_**Alder Forevaborn vs Xavier Blackmon (1)**_

_**Trip Craggier vs Malva Keenfire (2)**_

_**Giratina Bracket:**_

_**Koga Briarwood vs Gary Oak (1)**_

_**Lance Dragonwright vs Zandra Polisik (2)**_

_The issue was that he couldn't picture July running the region on her own for a little bit, and because the rest of the elites were in the tournament, he'd have to talk with them to see if they could help him out. He pictured himself against Abel in the Semi-Finals. He mentally scolded himself for being so confident, but it was just how he was. He knew nobody could beat him for at least another round or two. After that, it would really start getting difficult. He knew what he was going to likely have to have to do soon._

_He wasn't exactly sure how his elites would take it, but he knew the obstacle that was going to be facing him in the face in just days, hours, or even minutes._

_It was time._

_He was going to do it. _

_He was going to reveal himself to May._

_He was going to reveal himself to Paul and Gary. _

_The question was, who else would he reveal himself to?_

_**Present… Enjoy Everyone!**_

It was morning. The sun was shining brightly in the sky, Pidgey flocks were sweeping the area, chirping loudly. A soft breeze swept through the air, almost romantically. It was a gorgeous morning, to say the least. Ash sat in his favorite spot in the entire league: on top of the roof, where he could see the entire city that he had created.

Narrowing his eyes slightly, he could try and make out figures walking around a great distance away, to no success. However, he could make out the districts nicely. He saw that the high-tech shopping district wasn't bustling yet, but on a weekend this nice, it was just a matter of time. He saw the grocery district and market areas also thriving. He admired the way the ports of ALT City were having so much positive attention. The water sparkled around the ports from the sun, and Ash thoughtfully looked up to the sky, wondering how he got to this point.

Some time had passed since the round of 32. There was a week long period of time where people, trainers and spectators alike, were dormant in activities. In other words, there was a week long period of no battles before everything resumed. Ash found this particular break quite refreshing… for a day or so. Then, he immediately began to realize just how much was piling up on his plate.

First, the break was timed so the media could get an unrealistic amount of interviews off in order to keep the public with something to keep rolling with. So for a day or so, Ash found himself begrudgingly answering various questions, and often times, questions that had little to nothing to do battling whatsoever. An example of this could be when a female reporter with long orange hair and looked as though she was in her late teens questioned his relationship with one May Maple. She looked an odd amount like Misty Waterflower in the eyes of Ash, but he knew it couldn't be her. For one, she was still locked up and awaiting trial. He was fairly certain he was blessed by Arceus in more ways than one, because he hadn't gotten a single complaint about her while being held.

Once questions were done, Ash thought that he may finally have a few days to himself.

How wrong he was.

It seemed the media weren't the only ones trying to use the given break to their advantage. Mr. Goodshow had called a champions meeting in order to talk about the round of 16 and the upcoming events surrounding the tournament. Ash thought about ditching it for a bit, but then realized a couple of problems that could surface if he did.

For one, he had plans of his own that couldn't be interrupted once they were put in motion. These plans would take him out of the region while the tournament was being played. Because of this, if he ditched the meeting and something catastrophic came to light while he was gone, he would surely be thrashed by everyone for not being present. He couldn't let that happen; so he would inform the champions at the meeting.

And it just so happened that, at that exact moment, that Ash was preparing for the meeting, which was to be held in a conference room inside the Pokémon league. Well, preparing may not be the correct word for him. Xavier had drawn the short straw, and been forced to oversee the arrival of the champions and Mr. Goodshow. So, perhaps the more accurate term was 'Waiting.'

His mind drifted off to his plans after this meeting. He had been thinking long and hard about who he was going to reveal himself to and when it would happen. This decision was crucial to the league, to the traitors arrest, and of course, to himself. The more and more he thought about it, the more and more he realized he would need help if he was going to go to Kanto. Part of him thought about asking Team Rocket to assist him, but then he realized it wouldn't be possible.

They were all travelling in Unova at the moment, Jessie attempting to do contests once more, and James taking the gym battle challenge, though not all gym leaders were present there at the exact moment. Meowth was, obviously, tagging along with them, and Ash didn't want to take them off their trip at the moment; they deserved a break for their hard work. Hell, he wouldn't be travelling to Kanto in the first place if not for Meowth and the tape…

He shook his head on instinct, he couldn't think about the tape right now. That was a story for later. His mind was locked into what he knew he would have to do.

The first person he would reveal himself to would _not _be the one he originally thought; May would have to wait for a small time.

He needed to reveal himself to one or two people that he could take to Kanto without arousing too much suspicion. Who better than Gary and his best buddy Paul?

Ash fought the urge to scratch his head in bewilderment. Since when had Gary and Paul been good friends anyway? He knew it had to have been at least somewhat recent, since he sure as he couldn't remember them knowing each other when he was around. However, since Gary was well aware of the lay of the land in Pallet Town, nobody would question his presence. With Paul being extra muscle to the extra muscle, Ash could get what he needed in Pallet.

The problem was, he needed to get some questions that he had answered before he revealed himself to the two of them. If he rushed into this, he could make a crucial mistake or two that would seriously, or at least _could _seriously, hurt his chances at playing his hand correctly. He would reveal himself very shortly to the two.

He planned on doing it that very night.

However, he had to set his plan in motion. While still staring out over his city, he reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. He then proceeded to rip it in half. He wrote separate paragraphs on each one, and although both paragraphs had the same thing on it, neither one would end up in the same hands.

Each message read,

"_Thank you for your assistance with Misty Waterflower. I have not had the chance to properly thank you. Please go to this address at precisely 8 o clock tonight. I have set a private reservation for you. I want to thank you in person, as well as your good friend (Gary/Paul) who assisted the both of us. I do hope you're coming tonight. Hope to see you._

_Ghost."_

His plan was simple, roll through the champions meeting as smoothly as possible, and preferably as quickly as possible as well. However, while this was going on, he would send out both July and Axel to deliver the messages to Gary and Paul, no matter how long it would take the two of them to find them. Ash jokingly would tell them a few hours later than they could have the rest of the day to make out, and that these had been his only orders for the day. Axel would turn a light shade a pink in his cheeks, while July would let out an annoyed huff. They had already long since delivered the messages to their respective recipients.

Once these messages were delivered and, hopefully, both of them showed up, Ash would thank them, and begin his hook, line and sinker, all without looking the least bit suspicious. At least, in his mind, that was how it would go. Ash chose not to dwell on the thought for some reason, somehow thinking the more he thought about it, the more flawed the plan would get.

Either way, Ash would extract information from them, figure out if they were legit or not, and if they were, reveal himself to the two of them, as well as his plan to them, and how they fit into the plan as well. Then, if they agreed, they'd set off for Pallet as soon as possible. Then, it was all up to what happened overseas after that. Time would only tell.

And as if on cue, Zandra spoke from behind him, startling him a bit. "Everyone is waiting for you in the conference room." He stood up and walked to her. He held out both halves of paper, to which she took curiously. "Thank you for telling me. I have a small assignment for you Zan."

She was looking at the papers, not bothering to look up when she retorted. "Don't call me that. What's this for?"

Ash responded. "Find our favorite couple, wherever they are. Tell them that these two need to be delivered to Gary and Paul safely and within three hours, no less. I want these letters directly in their hands, not given to someone else who claims they'll give it to them, I want it to be direct. Use their status as elites to get anywhere, and that if they run into a problem, to contact me. This is important work."

Zandra nodded once, her pink hair still draped over her one eye. She made her exit, and Ash soon followed, intent on going straight to the conference room. He walked down two flights of stairs, then walked down a luxurious-looking hallway filled with paintings of Pokémon and rustic looking wooden-walls. He walked to the very end of the hallway, which took him a couple of minutes to complete. He pushed on the golden handles of the double doors and he stepped through the doorframe.

The conference room was gorgeous, a look of the ocean visible by a giant glass window. The walls shared the same rustic-looking wood, and a few Pokémon painting were in the room as well. In the middle was one giant rounded table, and large, fluffy executive chairs around the table too. Ash grinned, this room had been his personal design. He saw all the Champions look at him, as well as Xavier and Mr. Goodshow.

Ash motioned for Xavier. He whispered in his ear. "Thank you. You are excused." The brown-haired man nodded, usual Black Suit and all still firmly attached. He made his exit with a curt nod to the people still in the room.

Ash turned around and said. "Hello everyone, fancy seeing you all here."

Mr. Goodshow frowned at those words and commented. "Yes Yes, _fancy _indeed."

Ash waved his hand at the old man. "Not helping. Hey Lance!" He exclaimed loudly, obviously attempting to change the subject. "How's that relationship with Zandra going!?" Nobody else had seen it, but Lance had been about to comment on his entrance and how cheesy it was. However, the comment had come out before Lance could say anything. Instead, he turned the color of his hair and shut up.

Ghost's smirk was clear, and Cynthia was the one who opted to comment on it. "Um… care to elaborate Lance?"

Lance's blush did not leave his face, but he managed to say with a straight face. "No… I don't think I will."

Alder, however, let out a whoop of laughter. "Oh ho ho! This I've got to hear! You're not getting out of this one Lance!"

Mr. Goodshow interrupted. "Actually, he can, because it's not important in the slightest. We're not here to talk about Lance's love life, we're here to talk about the upcoming weeks in this tournament."

Ash interrupted this time and said. "Actually, you all may be, but I'm not."

The entire room turned to face him with bewilderment written all over their faces. Mr. Goodshow's face was the funniest one though, by far. He looked like he was going to make a sarcastic remark but thought better of it.

Or maybe not. "Oh? This wouldn't be the first time you've…" He trailed off when he noticed Ghost looking pointedly at him, as if trying to feed him a message of some sort. Mr. Goodshow was heavily split; on one hand, Ghost had never seemed to listen to him. He wondered why this was. That part of him felt the need to enforce his status of league commissioner on the Alola Champion. However, the other part of him hesitated in a big way. Ghost was, by far, the tournament favorite. He decimated each of his opponents in a big way. And because of this, the league was getting so much popularity that it was staggering to see the increasing ratings.

To add to it, the people of Alola seemed to worship their leader. It was understandable. Ghost had come in when all seemed lost in the region. He then proceeded to take the entire region under his wing and turn it around for the better. Mr. Goodshow wouldn't admit it, but he secretly envied the near flawless work Ghost had pulled off. 

After a moment, he sighed and said. "Well then… what is it that you want… more accurately… why are you here?"

The champions, Lance included, were totally shocked at Mr. Goodshow's behavior. He may have been an old man, but he _never _bowed to anyone, certainly not a somewhat rogue champion with only his own self-interests as his motives to his actions.

Ghost spoke. "Before I tell you what it is I am here for and what I am going to do, I must say something. As you all know, I am very mysterious with my actions, and why I take each one, it is a mystery to everybody as well. I want everyone to know why I do what I do, but I cannot explain until after this tournament. I myself know that nobody here, perhaps with the exception of one or two of you at this table, don't trust me. Here is what I have to say to you all: I don't blame you for that. What I ask of you, though, is that you leave me to my devices for the next week, give or take. This is the "break" period of the tournament, and although I would love to leave without giving any notice, I do believe I've kept you all in the dark long enough. In due time, I will reveal my actions, my motives, and of course…"

He paused for a moment, making a deliberate and dramatic pause for added effect. "… my identity."

_That _seemed to get the attention of the champions, who were looking at each other in disbelief. Nobody actually seemed to buy in that Ghost would drop his persona after the tournament. Lance himself seemed to be questioning it, and he already knew who Ghost was!

"Forgive me if I sound skeptical, but you're asking us to trust in your judgement when you refuse to share your motives, actions, reasoning, and identity to us, when we are, in fact, your equals." Diantha, who had been eliminated early in the tournament, said with a frown.

Cynthia added. "And we've seen decisions whose reasonings were masked by you multiple times in the past. Things aren't adding up. I'd like to know everything sooner rather than later."

Alder waved his hand in the air dismissingly. "Ahhhh I trust the man! Look at all the good he's done for his region under his control. Clearly he's someone I can trust!"

Steven commented dryly. "You trust anyone Alder…"

But it wasn't up to the champions to make the decision, it was one Mr. Charles Goodshow's call in whether or not to approve of the message. Almost at once, everyone turned to the commissioner who appeared to be close to be taking the bait. He bit his lip and pondered what the best course of action was here. He, like a great portion of his champions, were curious behind the Ghost's actions.

The old man got up from his seat and went to the window and stared out of it, deep in thought. In Mr. Goodshow's mind, there were two different persona's for the Ghost, and it was very odd to think about them both.

On one hand, there was the cold version of Ghost, the version that would shut down and kept secrets from everyone. This was the version that the general public got to see, and as much as it seemed to scare them, they trusted him simply because of his past success and dedication to the region. The team known as Team Skull was frightened by the leader of Alola because of his cold mask that he wore over his face at every moment.

Whenever he was in battle, he became the most feared trainer in the world, and nothing could change that. When you stood opposite to him, all you wanted to do was crumble up and wither into nothingness. He was someone that you never wanted to get on the wrong side of. In the public's eyes, as long as he was commanding the ship, anything was possible because of his cold and angry outside, and yet, they knew he cared for them and wouldn't allow anything less than success. Of course, then there was the other persona of Ghost: The kind person, and the noble leader. The general consensus amongst everyone was that Ghost may look scary, but he was a person who had a good heart. He cared a great amountfor the people he commanded.

The creatures known as Ultra Beasts had rightfully frightened the public and the Ghost had recognized this. Instead of nonchalantly disregarding it or putting it off until later, he gave an official announcement.

He was planning to make a city that would not only inhabit his elites, the Pokémon league, and a prime tourist hotspot, but it would also connect with a place that was called Aether Paradise, a group dedicated to a better world and was firm on protecting Alola and the world from Ultra Beasts. Naturally, at first, the general public had been concerned that these were nothing more than claims. They didn't buy into it, after all, their leader hadn't done too much to win them over yet, so there wasn't much that could be said.

However, as soon as the city's construction plan had been approved, people began to realize Ghost was not one to sit around and wait for things to slowly develop. He wanted to make Alola great. He was commonly seen travelling from city to city, checking on the condition of each of them and seeing what he could do to help.

Mr. Goodshow knew that Alola's beaches, shopping centers, and relatively unheard of Pokémon had the potential to attract brand new trainers and allow him to continue running the Pokémon league at peak efficiency. If Ghost truly wanted to, he could do some serious damage. He needed to tread carefully.

Unfortunately for him, someone else spoke first. "Personally Ghost, I don't think you realize what position you're in here. If Mr. Goodshow wanted, he could kick you out of the league altogether, I think you should give him a little more respect than what you've been doing so far." Cynthia said, crossing her arms in front of Ghost defiantly.

Mr. Goodshow paled profusely. "N-now Cynthia… let's n-not—" He was cut off by Ghost. "Are you sure about that Ms. Shirona? Because the last I checked, as the latest region to join a Pokémon league, and as this region's _champion_, I can withdraw my region from your Pokémon league, and would make Alola _permanently _separate from the Pokémon league." He was looking straight at her with a smirk plastered on his face. To his delight, Cynthia didn't seem to understand how bad that was.

Nor did Diantha. She snorted. "And how exactly is _that _supposed to threaten us, Mr. Ghost?"

Ash's grin widened. "I'm _so_ glad you asked." He sarcastically remarked. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small remote, and after clicking a few buttons, a projector lit up the room. He motioned to the screen. There were a bunch of bar graphs and numbers across the screen.

Upon seeing the champions confused faces, he elaborated. "You see, I was curious, so I decided to dig into the numbers: just how popular was Alola in comparison to other regions? It got me thinking, and I found that the approval ratings of Alola had gone up by a staggering 12% since the start of the tournament to this exact moment. Compared to other regions, that is unbelievable, because the greatest increase of approval in the past _five decades_ had been when Kalos earned its first chance to host a tournament. It went up by 4%."

Diantha smirked. "Well that's nothing out of the ordi—"

Ghost continued. "And after that first intermission, it _dropped _a whopping seven percent, with the primary reasons being "Lack of Concern for participants friends and family, lack of interest in battle from competitors, etc." Diantha was paling by the second.

Lance interrupted. "Err… maybe we should just—"

Ash wasn't listening though, and continued with a grin. "Alola has the greatest reviews for everything, and unlike the rest of the regions, you don't need to worry about travelling up mountains and victory roads in order to get to our Pokémon league. That gets a good rep for us here, as you can likely imagine."

He finished while nonchalantly explaining. "So, to counter your statement Ms. Shirona, _yes_, I do believe I hold the upper hand here. I am the champion of this region, host of this tournament. If you believe that you are so high and mighty then let my tournament dominance prove your arrogance wrong. Alola is not to be trifled with, nor are my leaders, my elites, or most especially… _myself._"

He got into Cynthia's face; grin lost entirely. "Have I made myself clear, Ms. Shirona? Or, do you need to be reminded of who you happen to be getting _very_ close to battling?" He smirked at Cynthia, who appeared to be quite shaken. He slowly took a step away before taking another jab at her. "Of course… that implies Axel won't end your hopes before I get a chance to do so."

Diantha muttered something to Steven, who didn't seem to be listening. But Ghost was. He whirled to Diantha, finger immediately in her face. "And _you_, you snobbishly arrogant woman—" Her jaw dropped at this. "Two words: _Cram. It._ I've already made it dangerously clear that all I have to do is cancel this tournament and the world will know just dysfunctional the rest of the league is. All I've ever done is establish that _I _am the most powerful trainer in this region, and considering _you_ were already eliminated, you hold no more power than the title you earned many years ago. If you and your damn elites didn't have _side jobs_, maybe the lot of you wouldn't have been blown aside by the competition!"

Diantha finally found her words. "M-Malva is still—"

"A _royal_ waste of space, time, and consideration." He spat at her. "You think I don't know Malva's rather _disturbing _past that you opted _not_ to include in past reports?" Her eyes bulged open in surprise, clearly not expecting Ghost to know such a thing. And, much to his amusement and cheerful surprise, the rest of the champions turned to her in surprise. Lance, however, first looked to Ghost, awe on his face. "Y-you actually read the reports?"

Ghost snorted. "Yes, I did. I may have opted not come to the meetings, but I didn't neglect my duties as a champion of this region, nor setting an example for all of my people. Diantha here, however, failed to include the little known fact that Malva Keenfire happened to be a member of a very dangerous group known as _Team Flare._"

The table gasped and Mr. Goodshow whirled to Diantha, shock written on his features. "I-Is this true?!" Diantha sighed and nodded. "I cannot deny it."

Ghost slammed his fist down on the table in disgust. "As Champions, we have _jobs _to the regions we serve. That job also applies to our elites; they must learn how to set an example to the people. They are supposed to be able to not just defend themselves, but also be able to battle better than anyone else, with the possible exception of the closest people on their left and right."

He mentioned the rest of the champions. "These champions, while not the brightest, the lot of them…" His eyes darted to Cynthia and then to Alder for the smallest of seconds, "Actually are firm-set on keeping up dominant appearances and backing them up by training consistently."

Diantha tried to argue. "What about Alder?! You speak of side-jobs as if they are some sort of plague that must be avoided at all costs. Alder frankly ignores half of our protocol, and leisurely roams the region with nothing to do! How is _that _responsible?"

Mr. Goodshow was losing his patience on the Kalos champion. "Diantha, you will be—"

Ghost beat him to the punch. "It is quite alright Mr. Goodshow. Let me ask you something, Ms. Champion. Would you say you are confident in your Pokémon's abilities in a fight that you are totally unsure of what Pokémon they have, or what to expect?"

She bit her lip. "Yes." However, Ash had caught the strand of hesitance and fed off it. "There is the hesitance I was looking for; you have _doubts_. Your Gardevoir is a one Pokémon-wrecking ball. But take away it's mega stone. Take away strategy, and your Gardevoir can easily be overwhelmed. How many battles have you won with Gardevoir outside of using Mega Evolution?"

Her silence told the story. "As I thought." He smirked. "Dragonwright here had an unbreakable bond with Dragonite, one that was forged over countless hours of _training_, _bonding_… not _acting._" He was very angry now; they had the nerve to try and insult him like this; they clearly didn't think before they spoke.

He pointed towards Steven. "His Metagross is possibly the most ferocious steel-type to exist. Does he allow it to doze off? _No. _Steven here always trains with it, making sure nobody can top it. The only reason he lost was because a _champion_ stood in his path, and someone had to lose."

He then pointed at Cynthia. "As stupid as remarks go, Ms. Shirona had the stupidest. However, there may be no greater threat to other Pokémon than her Garchomp. Type disadvantage or not, it always finds a way to win. While she is investigating archeological sites, Garchomp aids with breaking boulders and clearing a path every time they go exploring."

He looked towards Alder. "And unlike _you_, Alder finds the time to relax and _enjoy_ his Pokémon's presence. It may not be the best training, but having a clear mind, one devoid of emotions and outside thoughts is possible the most damning thing to have during a battle. A wise man once said: _"If you aren't winning, it doesn't mean that you're losing."_

Ghost smirked at her, nearly done with his rant. "So let me ask you this: if every other champion at least has a good reason to why they do what they do as an outside job, and how incorporates their Pokémon as well, how do you defend yours? Because all I see is a drama queen who is more obsessed with looking great off the battlefield rather than on it. Until you get that through your thick skull, I'm not even frankly sure why you're here in the first place."

The group was eerily silent as they stared at Ghost, Diantha turning a shade that looked like she had seen a Ghost, literally in this case. Mr. Goodshow quietly broke the silence with a single statement. "What is it you were going to say, Ghost?"

Ghost actually sighed in relief. "In the days before I was the Champion here in Alola, I was in contact with the Kanto region… in multiple ways. Before I came here, I had… unfinished business in certain areas in Kanto and Johto as well. I'll need a week to complete my business, and I'll be out of contact for a short while. My elites, however, will remain here to keep the peace and keep order. Axel will be put in charge until I return."

Lance himself couldn't help but question. "Is this visit business or…" He bit his lip a little and continued. "…personal?"

Ash smirked. "Personal."

Mr. Goodshow looked at Ghost with a calculating glance once more. He weighed both choices inside his mind, and wasn't very hesitant to make his decision.

"Very well Ghost. I grant you your request. You have one week from tomorrow to return home from your mission. We will not contact you in any way, but, you must grant my request that I have."

Ghost looked at the older man with an unreadable glance. "Name it."

"It is a few of them, to be specific. The first is that either way, you must promise me that you will not break off from the league, at least now until the end of this tournament."

Ghost shrugged. "Done."

"The next request I have is a simple one: Notify us of when you return; that isn't much of a challenge is it?"

Lance muttered under his breath. "He has no idea what he's talking about…"

Ghost shot him a look, to which Lance sent back a sheepish smirk. He then turned back to Mr. Goodshow and nodded fiercely. "Agreed. Is there anything else?"

Mr. Goodshow nodded. "And only one." He paused briefly before speaking. "After this tournament has come to an end, after everything has been concluded, and after we complete business here with the tournament, its competitors, and your own business in Kanto, there is something you must do for me."

He walked up to Ghost, a surprising amount of determination laced into his features.

"You must reveal your identity to myself, and the rest of the champions by the tournament's close."

Ghost froze for a split second, seriously beginning to grasp that he would have to show the world that Ash Ketchum did not die that night. He bit his lip, so harshly in fact that he drew blood. He suddenly felt the black band that had been wrapped around his arm at all times begin to gnaw away at the already ruined flesh. It was a sign everyday of why he did what he did; why he fought, why he battled, and why he served.

Ghost looked Mr. Goodshow in the eye and said to him.

"You have my word."

_ALT City… A seaside restaurant… _

Ghost sat on a pier, sipping a rather light drink. He was pondering the deal he had just made with Mr. Goodshow, and was wondering if he had made the right decision to reveal himself. Naturally, he had made sure he left himself a few outs, but he also knew it wouldn't be wise to take them unless he absolutely had to.

Now that his little operation had been approved by the Pokémon league council, he had completed his step one, though it could've been smoother to say the least. Now, he had a few more steps to complete. The second one, however, was the one that he believed would cause him the most issues.

He was going to finally reveal himself. And after careful consideration, he decided who this would be to:

Gary Oak, and Paul Shinji.

His original plan had been to reveal himself to May. However, time flew by quickly, and he found himself swapping some plans out and accelerating others. The more and more he thought about it, however, if people caught wind that May was leaving with him, it could raise eyebrows across seas. If he left with Gary and Paul, two fellow competitors, it could be regarded as a training retreat over break.

Telling May he would be gone for a week was nothing easy. She had gotten a bit upset, but he promised her he would keep in touch with her discreetly. She wondered what was up with all this secrecy, but she didn't argue it any further. She said she had made some new friends while in ALT city, and that she'd get some much needed "girl time" while he was away. He had jokingly jabbed back at her that he hoped she wouldn't be corrupted by the time he returned.

She had punched him playfully on the shoulder as a response.

Now, he sat on the pier, completely alone, waiting for his companions to arrive. He hoped they would take this alright, but he honestly had no idea how they'd react. Would Gary pass out? Would Paul punch him? Would they reveal to the world that he was, in fact, alive and well? He tried to think the worst wouldn't happen, but in the back of his mind, he knew it_ could _happen.

"Good to see you again Ghost."

The man turned on his chair and saw the duo he was looking for walking towards him.

Ghost didn't move for a second, before grinning and saying. "Hey Gary, Paul. Have a seat I have something to tell you."

Before the two had even spoke or sat down, he said directly. "I'm actually Ash from our old journeys."

Gary was frozen for the briefest of moments before he roared. "WHAT THE—" He then punched him as hard as he could, and Paul threw him off the pier. Paul bitterly responded. "You're worthless Ketchum, completely and utterly worthless."

The words fazed in his ears, and then suddenly he was back to reality. He blinked once or twice, not really comprehending words for a moment or two. He bit his lip and said aloud. "Forgive me, I was in a daydream for a moment."

Paul joked. "The almighty Ghost in his own fantasy land? The press would get a kick out of that."

Gary chuckled and Ghost motioned them to sit down. Gary spoke. "You know, I appreciate you getting our food ready ahead of time and paying for it." Paul opened his mouth to chime in but Ghost held his hand up, effectively silencing them. "Please. It is the least I can do. Enjoy yourselves gentlemen."

Gary and Paul didn't miss the rather mysterious tone in his voice. They had only known Ghost for a short time, but he hadn't ever spoken in that tone to them.

Paul grinned a little. "So Ghost, tell us about yourself."

Ghost craned an eyebrow towards him, as if testing the young man. Paul quickly added. "Anything that you're comfortable sharing of course." The man shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and responded. "Well, I'm originally from Kanto."

Gary's eyes widened and he responded cheerfully. "Aye! That's where I'm from! How 'bout it!?"

Ash wasn't thinking when he responded. "I know that."

Paul looked at him in surprise. "You know? How?"

Ash bit his lip and smirked. "I have my ways. I _am _the champion, after all."

Paul made a face and then nodded. "Suppose I can't argue with that…"

Ash marveled at how Paul had changed from his Sinnoh days. He remembered how they had never gotten along, but on that final day when they had seen each other, Ash knew Paul was on the right path. All it had taken was a single smile for him to see it like that. If only the rest of his so-called friends could be or would ever be like that…

Ash casually sipped his drink again before speaking. "I have a question for you all. I'd appreciate it if you answered with the truth, and only the truth."

Gary and Paul exchanged glances. "Fire away." Gary responded, but Ash could hear the hesitance in his voice. Ghost prepared for reactions.

"What do you know about Ash Ketchum?"

The results were instantaneous. Gary's eyes had bulged out of their sockets for the briefest of seconds, shock laced into his features. Paul's face had dramatically paled, almost to the point that Ash would've believed he was choking. He had restrain himself from laughing. Gary and Paul once more exchanged glances, and after a moment or two Gary finally responded. "Erm… why exactly do you want to know about him?"

Ghost casually played with his drink. "A few reasons, really. Enlighten me of what you know about him."

Paul seemed to be fighting something back in his mind. Ghost, without even looking at him, said. "Care to say something Mr. Shinji?"

Paul's mouth opened and closed, caught totally off guard. Gary, fortunately for him, came to his rescue.

"Ash is a touchy subject for us."

Ghost looked at him. "And the reason for that is?"

Gary looked at Paul before he began to speak. "Because Ash died in a volcano over half a decade ago. We weren't with him when it happened, but what was really suspicious was that his entire friend group was with him."

Paul added. "You know the group of idiots who stole that kids Pokémon that we helped rescue? That was them; Ash's friends."

Gary continued. "We heard about it, and thought it was really odd that they were there in the first place. Why would Ash throw himself into danger without his Pokémon? Why did he not call out Charizard? Why did nobody help him? Why were there so many holes in their story? Why…" Gary held his head low and shook it in confusion.

Paul continued for Gary. "It didn't make any sense. Gary reached out to me and we confronted his friends about it, but they avoided every question we had. It wasn't like they were in mourning or anything, it was like they didn't want to answer anything we had to ask them. It was really off, but then again, it may have been because we were both rivals with Ash at one point and another. That may have put them off."

Ghost sighed and said. "Not what I was asking about."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "It's not?"

Ghost shook his head. "No, why is Ash Ketchum a touchy subject for _you_?"

Paul and Gary, for possibly the fifth time since they had begun speaking to Ghost, looked at one another, as if silently contemplating what to do. Paul spoke, guilt seeping into his voice.

"I personally feel like Ash didn't accidentally die. I don't know how it could've happened. Ash wasn't some clumsy kid when it happened, he was prepared for anything. The thing is that we were never able to find any information on his death, because his body was never found, as we knew was likely. His friends refused to help us, and nobody else we knew of had anything to say about it." He paused for a moment before speaking again. "I feel guilty because I know Ash would go to hell and back for any of us, and we don't know what to do from here to help him… it's silently haunting us."

Ash studied them with a calculating glance. Paul wouldn't let Ash speak though. "You should answer to us though, _why _do you want to know about him?"

Ash grinned a little, having formulated an answer to the inevitable question. "The reason I ask is because I had a young woman by the name of Serena Yvonne ask me to track down the ones who supposedly… _murdered_ Ash." Gary's eyes widened. "I knew someone else had to agree with us! Serena is an old friend of Ash's, but…" His eyes darkened. "Wasn't she… part of the group that backstabbed him? Why would she want you to investigate the group she was a part of?"

Ghost replied. "It would seem not everything is at is appears. I do not know what has become of Serena as of late, but I'm sure she will turn up. She has not been responding to my texts, so perhaps she is visiting family. I hear she values it quite a bit…" He discretely send the two a hint to what could've happened, but neither one got it, since they didn't know the information that Ghost had.

Paul spoke to Gary. "We should find Serena and give her our help. If she really was on Ash's side, we need to get her side of the story. Maybe she has opinions we should know about."

Gary shrugged. "Definitely couldn't hurt."

Paul looked back at Ghost, who was grinning. "What's so funny?"

Ghost's grin didn't leave his face. "Tell me, if Ash truly was murdered by his so called friends, what would you do to avenge him?"

Paul blinked. "I mean, I'd obviously want to bring those bastards to justice. There's nothing else I'd want more if that's the case." Gary added in. "That makes two of us; Ash made us both better people as a whole and the fact that someone could be low enough to try and do something so horrible makes me sick."

Ghost was quiet. "Let me ask you something else: what would you do if Ash was still alive? Would you do anything to help him?"

Gary's response was instant. "Absolutely, so long as it's legal." Ash bit back a grin and turned to Paul. "And you?"

"Definitely."

Ash looked back and forth between the two and then promptly got up. He walked back to the doorway and told the waiter standing there. "Please leave us. I'll call you back when we need your assistance again."

The man nodded. "As you wish sir." The man promptly took his leave and Ash closed the door behind him. Ash walked back to the two, who looked a little on edge at the prospect of having zero clue what Ghost was planning. He sat back down again and rubbed his temples, which were now throbbing. He took a deep breath and planned what he would say. He knew if this went awry, things could get rough. He leaned in and said quietly.

"What am I about to say from here on out, does not leave the three of us. Am I understood?" Gary and Paul looked at one another yet again before turning back to Ghost, nodding and eyes ablaze.

Ghost took a deep breath.

"I have it on very good authority that Ash Ketchum is alive."

Gary's jaw dropped and Paul cried out. "W-what!? It… it's impossible!"

Ghost merely smiled. "I assure you gentlemen, I am One-Hundred Percent confident that Mr. Ketchum is still alive, and has been in hiding for quite some time now. If I was estimating… I would say the past half-decade or so."

Gary pointed out. "How do you know this? The best investigators in the world couldn't help us, so how is it that you know what happened to him, when you're all the way out in Alola?"

Ghost cocked his head to the left, as if mocking him. "What was it that I said was my home region, Mr. Oak?"

Gary froze for a split second. He breathed out in shock. "K-Kanto…"

Ghost nodded once. "Would it be that ludicrous to believe I have connections from back home? The champion of a region, not having any informants from his home region?" Paul nodded at Ghost. "Point taken. Doesn't explain how the informant knows Ash is alive, or how you know with _100% _certainty that he's alive."

Ghost nodded. "I shall explain what happened. And, I shall answer your questions. From my very trusted informant, this is what happened."

The two leaned in, anxious to hear what Ghost said was the true story of Ash Ketchum. "While all his friends were at his home, they drugged him. They managed to get him to Kalos, where he was convinced by his so called friends that he had been hit over the head with a rock or boulder of sorts, and that he had suffered short term memory loss as a result."

Gary opened his mouth to interject, but Ghost cut him off. "Please, I'll answer your questions after I'm done." Gary opened his mouth again to argue, but Paul cut him off by slapping a hand over his mouth. "Agreed. Go ahead."

Ghost continued. "Once they had done enough convincing to Ash that he had been lucky to not be concussed or things of the sort, they convinced him to run ahead with them, completely unaware of the trap that had been set. Their method to get him to move had been the story they used to convince him why they were in a volcano in the first place: they were here to save Moltres. He was so lost in thought that he ran straight into the trap. He stepped right into it unknowing that his friends would betray him. He was clenching onto a handful of rocks as the only thing separating him from near certain death. Then, the traitors announced their plan to him, simply to demoralize him or perhaps something else…" He trailed off for a moment before continuing. "After taking turns at swinging at Ash's heart, they gave him a choice. They told him he could either pursue something else, or that they would let him fall."

Ghost paused before speaking. "Rather than submit to them, he decided to try and fight his way out. Clenching the rocks with one hand, he reached for his Pokémon to aid him, only to realize his Pokémon belt wasn't there. He saw one of the people he had called friend… rival… holding it. Ash realized they may have taken the belt off when he was unconscious. He pled with them to not do what seemed inevitable, and as he feared, they didn't listen. They tossed the belt of Pokémon into the volcano. In that instant, with a loud cry, he jumped in after them."

Gary was slack-jawed. Paul didn't look as shocked, but did find the power to create some words. "Serena was the informant wasn't she?" Ghost turned to look at the man. He shrugged. "I mean, look at what you've told us so far. You've only told us things that Serena has likely been present for, right? She was one of those who drugged Ash, she was there to possibly berate him, and she saw him jump into the volcano. That's only one opinion; it doesn't mean any of that is true."

Ghost grinned weakly. "You _would _be correct… if that was the end of the story."

_That _seemed to get Paul's attention. He was now leaning in further. "Unbeknownst to the traitors, Ash survived the fall into the Volcano, and was rescued by a very notable name, one that the informant didn't opt to give. He was transported to a person Ash knew he could trust that wasn't part of the traitors. Over time, Ash healed and prepared his revenge. After some time, he decided to leave Kanto, not just because of the haunted memories he had, but because his Pokémon, aside from the Pokémon on his belt and his trusted Pikachu, had been either sold for other's gain, or released into the wild. Who the seller was is a mystery, but what was known is that if Professor Oak himself did have a hand in it, he wasn't the seller."

He motioned to Gary and said quickly, "And I'm not implying it's you," and reiterated. "Ash believed it was the traitors who acquired all of the funds. What was puzzling to Ash was that the good Professor didn't know about it until it was too late, or as it seemed."

He continued his tale. "After Kanto, it is unclear where Ash went. What he did swear though, was that he'd get his revenge on those who damned him. He would get to the bottom of everything… whether it came sooner or later."

Everything was silent for a moment or two. Ghost calmly watched the two men, watching for any reactions whatsoever. Ash decided that the time was finally here. While the two were deep in thought, Ash reached into his pocket carefully and pulled out the device he used to carefully remove his Aether Paradise-style contacts. They shielded his auburn eyes from the world. Instantly, his brown eyes appeared and changed from what had previously been a light green.

Gary and Paul had both been so deep in thought, neither one caught the slow movement made by the Alola champion. Finally, Gary was the one who broke the ice. "I… I have a few questions Ghost."

Ghost nodded, a small smirk on his face. They still hadn't seen his eyes. "You… you said Ash had healed?" Ghost nodded once more.

"How is it that he was even able to heal completely? A fall from as high up as you made it sound like, I think that would've killed any normal person."

Ghost firmly said. "When did I ever say he _completely_ healed?"

Gary paled. "Yes, Gary. I have it on good authority that Ash never fully healed, and hasn't to this day."

Paul cut in. "I have a question. Those motherfu—" he bit his lip and corrected himself. "_people…_ tossed in his Pokémon. You mentioned only the Pokémon on his belt hadn't been sold or released. Does that mean the rest of the Pokémon he was unable to save? Did they all die?"

Ghost looked bitter for a moment before shaking his head. "No… they didn't. Ash saved them; he was able to grab them in midair and make sure they didn't fall into the lava. They were the only Pokémon he was able to save."

Gary questioned. "I have only one more question, if that's alright?"

Ghost nodded.

"What kind of injuries did Ash sustain? Falling into a volcano can't be good for one's health…" Gary said worriedly.

Ash bit his lip. "Ironically, Ash was concussed on the fall down, when he thought he had already been concussed as his friends has told him. He landed on a rock below, and he landed on it so hard that a large spray of lava flew up in the air and seared his entire arm, melting off the skin horrifically."

Ash chuckled so quietly the men didn't think they heard him chuckle at all. Ash reached for his arm band and slowly pulled it down. "It somewhat looks…" He pulled it down to his wrist. "…Like this."

Gary's hands flew to his mouth as he attempted not to wretch. Paul appeared to be too paralyzed to move. Ghost's right arm appeared to have melted off. It was utterly horrific. The skin was a combination of blotchy red and semi-pale skin in terrifying patterns. It looked like something from a nightmare. Paul stuttered softly. "Unbelievable… how did you suffer from those burns… those look almost like they were caused…" He trailed off, unable to form any more words.

Gary was deep in thought, as if trying to place together the pieces that had been presented. Suddenly, words tore through his state of mind before he knew what was happening. Paul was the one who spoke. "Hey… I could've sworn you had blue eyes… what happened? Did I just imagine it?"

Gary suddenly began remembering every Pokémon that Ghost had, and gasped aloud. He remembered who Ghost had put as some of his Pokémon entrees. There was no doubt in his mind that Ghost had a Pikachu…

Gary froze entirely. In one more instant, Paul let out a gasp. The two looked at one another, each thinking the same thing. Gary whispered. "No… it… it can't be…"

Paul's eyes were wide as could be. "It's… n-not possible…"

"Gentlemen…" The duo looked at Ghost, who was standing out overlooking the pier, wearing his standard attire. Paul and Gary got up from their seats and slowly walked over to the edge of the pier in a state of utter bewilderment. Gary managed to get out a single word, which was laced with disbelief.

"…Ash?"

The man removed his hat slowly and turned around with a grin. His black locks were somewhat the same, but the hat itself had somehow shielded him from recognition. His bright red vest, dark t-shirt, and black jeans looked very odd for Ash Ketchum. However, what hadn't changed was his signature grin.

"How's it going boys?"

The reaction was nothing short of absolutely priceless. Gary passed out, literally collapsing on the ground, totally out for the count. Paul stumbled forward, trying to catch himself before he hit the ground, and failed miserably. He fell to his knees and stared at the young man he once called his rival. He shook his head over and over, unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

He was finally able to form a few words. "But… how… what… why… I don't… it's…" Ash chuckled and placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a hug. "It's great to see you again Paul. I'm glad you're alright!"

Paul was still not moving, nor was Gary. Finally though, Paul wrapped his arms around him. "I… I'm glad you're alright Ash… I just…I…" He was truly struck into speechless. They broke the hug and then Paul wound up and swung his fist. Ash promptly side stepped the punch and allowed Paul to fall on the ground. He chuckled from the floor and was promptly helped up.

"At least you're taking it a little better than Gare-bear over there." Ash joked a little.

Paul laughed at this. "Guess you're here to explain why you're explaining your identity now?" Ash raised an eyebrow at the grammar of his statement but didn't comment on it. He just walked over to Gary with a grin on his face. He punched his friend on the shoulder in an attempt to wake his friend up. After a moment or two, Gary came to.

He saw Paul staring down at him. Gary groaned. "Damn Paul, I just had the weirdest dream. I just dreamed that Ghost revealed himself to be Ash after all this time and—" His breath hitched a little when he saw Ash's cheery face grinning down at him. Gary's mouth opened and closed like a fish over and over again, unable to comprehend what it was that he was seeing.

"You… You're alive…"

Ash joked. "I _did_ say it was a solid informant, yes?

Paul laughed. "Oh cram it Ketchum. Why is it you waited until now to reveal to us? Who else even knows about your identity?"

Ash pondered this for a moment or two before answering. "Lance, the champion of Kanto, my elites, Brock, my friend Clemont from Kalos… and a few others." Gary looked legitimately surprised. "Wow, I'm shocked you're letting in that many people on your identity…"

Gary's eyes darkened. "So that means you were betrayed by those tools…"

Ash sighed. "Everything I've told you both has been true, unfortunately. They backstabbed me in that volcano, I never saw it coming until it was too late. There's still a few holes to the story I need to fill, but I could use some help if you don't mind."

Paul blinked. "You need our help? You have elites right, why risk revealing yourself to more people if you know you have people you can trust?"

Ash grinned. "Would you believe me if I said I missed some of the people I could actually stand from my old life?"

Gary laughed and clapped Ash on the shoulder, safely on his feet and moving by this point. "I'd buy into it. If I was gone from my old life for a long six years with little to no contact with my past life, I wouldn't blame myself, so it's hard to blame you. Still though, I agree with Paul on one thing: the timing of this seems a little odd. Something's got to have happened. Mind filling Paul and I in on what your plan is?"

Ash grinned. "Of course. You guys remember Team Rocket?"

Paul groaned. "I don't like where this is going and I haven't even heard any context to this plan…"

"I got them out of Team Rocket, and hired them as my personal and most elite spies in my entire core." Gary honestly looked between a mixture of surprise and cheerfulness. "That's great, great news!"

Paul frowned. "Why's that?"

Gary joked. "Better have them on other people than us!"

Paul blinked once or twice before nodding in agreement after some serious consideration. "Damn, never thought of it like that. What does Team Rocket have to do with us though?"

Ash grinned and began to explain rapidly. "I asked them to spy on a certain… group… and after I got all the information, I remembered that Meowth had given me a tape with very important information. I've only ever listened to it once, and I want you both to listen to this." Ash reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the tape.

A few moments later, and the tape began to play.

"_Hey Twerp! It's the happy brew crew, and we're here with a message for you! Let me just say it's a great honor to work for you, and I can't express how much gratitude I have for you and your elites. You twerps are the best, and we can't wait to continue working with you dorks! Now, if you're listening to this message, you are listening to try and figure out who to suspect when it comes time to try and solve your mystery. The brew crew and I placed together a plethora of things you should definitely look into."_

_"Let's begin with the obvious Twerp. As you probably know, The group of dorks who betrayed you is relatively large: The sinnoh twerpete, the kalos twerpete multiple unova twerps and twerpettes, among others. Now, here's what we was thinking: who caused a great portion of you'zes betrayal? It was because the green-haired twerp was putting his mouth on your girls, right? Well, we think that the green haired dork is da key to unlocking key information in your hunt to find out why ya were betrayed. If you're thinking about how to find him, I don't think it'll be too hard, because we know where da twerp is gonna be! As of when we are recording this right now, we're participating in a bunch of different contests across kanto, I think it'll be worth it to pay the green bean a long overdue visit."_

_"Next thing we thought to mention was dat the motive of the murder didn't make sense, dig? We thought that maybe a bit of digging from da Professor. Da fact that you weren't able to find any motives is kinda suspicious, and because all your Pokémon were magically sold off without any information on what happened… I think da professor may have some serious stuff that he's choosing not to include certain things in his reports. As a Professor who swears himself to the greater good, he certainly doesn't act like it. If you ever get a chance, perhaps some investigating is due up for da good Professor eh?"_

_"Finally Twerp, I think da last person you should be investigating is your mother. She was very much aware that you were missing, or at least, she knew your friends took ya away. We weren't able to get concrete evidence that she was with da ones who betrayed you, but all we're saying is dat there's a chance she was involved. I would make sure that, if you see her, to try and uncover as much information as you can. She could have an alternate perspective to what happened, she may not have anything. Either way, I would do your best to try and lock up some very specific information that you can use to your advantage."_

_"I realize that this information may not immediately help ya twerp. That being said, I hope ya figure out what it is you're looking for twerp. If you can get some time to go out to Kanto, I would try and check out all of these people out. I don't know what you will need to do to get the information that may or may not be required, but I hope you find what you're looking for twerp. Hope this information helps. Good luck twerp, don't be afraid to contact the brew crew if you need anything!"_

The tape ended, and then Gary and Paul turned to look at Ghost with curious eyes.

"When did Team Rocket give you this tape?"

Ash frowned. "Why?"

Paul reiterated. "Because the tournament may not still be happening in Kanto, meaning finding Drew won't be easy."

Ash frowned and tried to recall when it happened.

_Chapter 10… Flashback…_

_Ash frowned and shook his head. "No, I can't say I have."_

_James grinned. "Exactly; if my prediction is correct, she's filming this for one person: you." Ash realized James' prediction was actually a good one, and it connected all the gaps. Ghost was supposedly someone who got jobs done for prices, the question was, what was she giving him?_

_"I don't work for free after all, nor do you. What exactly is she planning to do when she finds me, in other words, how is she paying me?"_

_James frowned a little. "That little piece of information has thus eluded me, I'm afraid." Ash nodded slowly and said with a small smile. "You did good James, thanks." James bowed and said politely. "It was an honor." He then backed off and Jessie came forward and sadly said. "Ghost, I wish I bore the same news James had, but I do not. They are simple and rather dull in all honesty. Forgive me for my lack of knowledge on the situation."_

_Ash waved it off. "I expected as much from the traitors, don't worry about a thing." Jessie thanked him and backed off. Meowth walked up and handed him a device of some sorts. He nodded to Ash and said calmly. "You better watch this twerp, but not now… later. This video is for your eyes only, you'll know why when you see it, just trust me on this."_

_Ash took him for his word, and said to the group. "I need you all to stay on alert. I was given word today that a new Ultra Beast may go on the loose soon, so just stay frosty. I may need you all to help defend Alola, but for the time being, you all can go back onto your journey. Keep your phone close to you, I may need your help within time."_

_Meowth nodded. "You got it, boss!"_

_With that, all three rockets leapt off the rooftop and Ash turned away and looked down at the odd device. It looked like it had a small screen on it, so if Ash was guessing, it would show a video of some sort. He would look at it in his private chambers, that oughta be safe enough from anyone with prying eyes to get a vision on what Meowth had given him. _

_Present…_

"So… a couple weeks then?" Paul confirmed. Ash nodded in agreement. Gary cocked his head to the side. "So does that mean what I think you're hinting towards?"

Ash nodded. "I'm planning on going to Kanto tomorrow morning. I need help to find Drew, unlock information about the Professor, and I could use help trying to find out anything about my mom's involvement with the betrayal." The duo looked at one another. Paul joked. "Well I got nothing to do for the next week give or take… though I was planning to visit my buddy's memorial in Kanto…"

Ash groaned and punched his shoulder.

Gary blinked. "Wait, does May know that…"

Paul suddenly caught wind of what Gary was talking about and turned to Ash with wide eyes. Ash bit his lip and shook his head back and forth. Gary's jaw dropped. "She doesn't know you're alive?! B-but your death devastated her! How could you not tell her?" Ash sighed and explained.

"The reason is because I spent years thinking she backstabbed me the worst in comparison to every traitor. I spent every month thinking she hated me. I spent every week believing that she was in bed with that green-haired asshole. And I…" He closed his eyes to prevent the tears from flowing out. "I spent every day knowing she would never be mine…"

Gary placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you'll do it soon mate, just… don't keep her waiting, right?"

Ash nodded. "Right." He hesitated again. "So… are you guys in?"

Ash watched as Gary and Paul exchanged looks before grinning back at the champion of Alola.

"Where do we sign up?"

**AN: Andddd that's it folks! After not posting for nearly 3 months due to schoolwork, actual work, and the coronavirus, I've officially completed chapter 19 of the story! I know I mentioned this earlier, but I wanted to thank you all for hanging tough with me. This has been a great run I've had in this story so far, so thanks for keeping with me guys.**

**So how about this story? In just this chapter alone, we learned what was on the mysterious tape Meowth gave Ash nearly 10 chapters ago, Ash finally broke and lost his patience with the League council, Ash revealed himself to two of his close friends, and they both agreed to take a trip with him to Kanto in order to lock up some seriously important information! What will Ash find when he travels back home for the first time in years? How will the information affect him and his outlook on the betrayal? Is Professor Oak responsible? Did his mother orchestrate the entire thing? You'll have to come back to find out!**

**Please follow and favorite everyone! Speaking of, you guys are the absolute **_**best!**_** This story, which just hit 500 followers, hit 600 followers and 500 favorites in a month's time period! Thank you all so much for this unrelenting support. I don't deserve all the love you all keep sending me, and I honestly can't thank you guys enough.**

**Make sure you leave a review if you're new, and like I said, follow, favorite, and share the story too! Let's continue growing!**

**Thanks for reading everyone. I hope to have the next upload out in a month's time. **

**Till Next time!**

**LegionZ**


	20. Where it all Began

**Hey Guys! Welcome to the big two-zero; Chapter 20, of the Chosen One's Wrath! If you're new to this story, I urge you to follow and favorite the story, as well as myself if you find that my writing isn't so bad! This chapter will hopefully put the story over the one hundred and seventy **_**thousand**_** mark, and we still got a ton to go! To those who have followed the story and favorited since I last posted a chapter, thank you so much for your support! If any of you have questions, feel free to contact me through PM! **

**As per usual, let's talk, shall we? I am beginning this chapter just a day after I posted the chapter called "Power Play," so here's hoping that it doesn't take me a quarter of a year to post something eh? Assuming I do get it out in a timely manner, I don't expect this to be a monstrous 12k+ chapter in terms of total words. I always go for larger than 8k, and 12k is kinda where I start drawing the line, but at this rate I guess it can go larger.**

**Also, the COVID-19 pandemic is still going on as of now, (and assuming I get this out on time, I assume that everything will still be going full swing, so stay safe out there people.) I work fairly consistently, but with some good luck, I can keep up a consistent upload rate.**

**Now onto chapter business: Last one was a doozy, if you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend doing so. It is the largest chapter I've ever typed: Over twelve thousand words! Ash told off the Pokémon league for acting irresponsible, he showed his true identity to Gary and Paul, he revealed the secret tape Meowth had given him, and he revealed the targets that would shine some light on the incident that damned him forever. Now, how will May react when she finds out Ghost is leaving her for a week's time to go to Kanto? Of the three targets, who, if any, will pan out with important information? Will Ash find out why he was betrayed? Keep reading to find out.**

**That's it for the slightly extended intro guys! Please enjoy, and I'll give my final thoughts at the end of this chapter! **

_LegionZ Presents… The Chosen One's Wrath Chapter 20_

_Last Chapter…_

"_Very well Ghost. I grant you your request. You have one week from tomorrow to return home from your mission. We will not contact you in any way, but, you must grant my request that I have."_

_Ghost looked at the older man with an unreadable glance. "Name it."_

"_It is a few of them, to be specific. The first is that either way, you must promise me that you will not break off from the league, at least now until the end of this tournament."_

_Ghost shrugged. "Done."_

"_The next request I have is a simple one: Notify us of when you return; that isn't much of a challenge is it?"_

_Lance muttered under his breath. "He has no idea what he's talking about…"_

_Ghost shot him a look, to which Lance sent back a sheepish smirk. He then turned back to Mr. Goodshow and nodded fiercely. "Agreed. Is there anything else?"_

_Mr. Goodshow nodded. "And only one." He paused briefly before speaking. "After this tournament has come to an end, after everything has been concluded, and after we complete business here with the tournament, its competitors, and your own business in Kanto, there is something you must do for me."_

_He walked up to Ghost, a surprising amount of determination laced into his features._

_"You must reveal your identity to myself, and the rest of the champions by the tournament's close."_

_Ghost froze for a split second, seriously beginning to grasp that he would have to show the world that Ash Ketchum did not die that night. He bit his lip, so harshly in fact that he drew blood. He suddenly felt the black band that had been wrapped around his arm at all times begin to gnaw away at the already ruined flesh. It was a sign everyday of why he did what he did; why he fought, why he battled, and why he served._

_Ghost looked Mr. Goodshow in the eye and said to him._

"_You have my word." _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Gary was deep in thought, as if trying to place together the pieces that had been presented. Suddenly, words tore through his state of mind before he knew what was happening. Paul was the one who spoke. "Hey… I could've sworn you had blue eyes… what happened? Did I just imagine it?"_

_Gary suddenly began remembering every Pokémon that Ghost had, and gasped aloud. He remembered who Ghost had put as some of his Pokémon entrees. There was no doubt in his mind that Ghost had a Pikachu… _

_Gary froze entirely. In one more instant, Paul let out a gasp. The two looked at one another, each thinking the same thing. Gary whispered. "No… it… it can't be…" _

_Paul's eyes were wide as could be. "It's… n-not possible…"_

_"Gentlemen…" The duo looked at Ghost, who was standing out overlooking the pier, wearing his standard attire. Paul and Gary got up from their seats and slowly walked over to the edge of the pier in a state of utter bewilderment. Gary managed to get out a single word, which was laced with disbelief. _

"…_Ash?" _

_XXXXXXXXXX_

_Ash groaned and punched his shoulder. _

_Gary blinked. "Wait, does May know that…"_

_Paul suddenly caught wind of what Gary was talking about and turned to Ash with wide eyes. Ash bit his lip and shook his head back and forth. Gary's jaw dropped. "She doesn't know you're alive?! B-but your death devastated her! How could you not tell her?" Ash sighed and explained. _

"_The reason is because I spent years thinking she backstabbed me the worst in comparison to every traitor. I spent every month thinking she hated me. I spent every week believing that she was in bed with that green-haired asshole. And I…" He closed his eyes to prevent the tears from flowing out. "I spent every day knowing she would never be mine…"_

_Gary placed a hand on his shoulder. "I trust you'll do it soon mate, just… don't keep her waiting, right?"_

_Ash nodded. "Right." He hesitated again. "So… are you guys in?"_

_Ash watched as Gary and Paul exchanged looks before grinning back at the champion of Alola. _

"_Where do we sign up?"_

_Present…_

Ash found himself attempting to relax in a forest, and also found himself failing miserably at it. He knew that in the back of his mind, if his most recent battle against Erika hadn't been on the earlier side, there was a very good chance he wouldn't have been in Kanto at the moment. It had bought him time to answer questions from the media, and then the time to plan out what he would do was elaborate. However, he had made more than a few mistakes in his planning process.

The first one was almost the worst-case scenario. Ash, in his rush to formulate the plan, instinctively had forgotten that Jesse and Rocket had been travelling in Unova for contests. Why was this such a bad thing? Because if memory served Ash correctly, Drew had been battling against Jesse in contests as of late. That also meant Drew was likely to be _Unova,_ and _not_ Kanto.

However, fortune appeared to bless him and his newly acquired sidekicks. A quick ring to James and Ash had all the information he needed to know. Apparently, the Kanto grand festival was around the corner, and Drew had opted to spend extra time in Kanto training, while Rocket felt as though their strategies and strengths were enough to win the tournament. Instead, they opted to try and get a head start in Unova, which was the next Grand Festival.

When Ash told them of his plan and who he had recruited for assistance, they approved, mostly because they were out of reach in a far-away region; it meant they couldn't be relied on for assistance. Ash told them to be on Standby, but would call them unless absolutely necessary.

His second mistake had been to nearly forget to say goodbye to May in person before he left for a week. Thankfully, Gary had questioned him about it while they were gearing up to leave, and Ash promptly went back to say goodbye.

His third mistake was forgetting that the paparazzi could have a field day if he and his Pokémon were seen leaving the region on a plane. They had been given a private jet by Aether Paradise, and Ash had stupidly not thought of the consequences of leaving the region unannounced with two random people and his Pokémon. He knew the Pokémon league may receive a small amount of flack as a result of this, but then he realized that their PR team could definitely handle it. After all, if Diantha was still going strong despite her only advantage being a rock around her neck, then they could definitely handle a little paparazzi.

His fourth and, thankfully, final mistake had been assigning tasks to his elites while he was away. He did that on the plane, but a sinking feeling in his gut told him it would've been a much smarter move to do it in person.

The plane ride over had been peaceful enough. Ash had debriefed his plan to his friends, who understood that if they wanted to be associated with him, they needed to do this. Ash explained that Paul's job was to find Drew and place him in a convenient location for Ash to do his line of questioning. Gary was skeptical of the idea at first, after all, why would Drew talk about what happened to Ash all those years ago, and on top of it, how would Ash explain his line of questioning and pass it off as something realistic?

Ash had a solution to that though. Drew was very much aware of May and Serena, and though they were obviously not friends, Ash had little doubt in his mind Drew had a way to contact them if he needed to. Therefore, his line of questioning would come off as _Ghost_, not _Ash. _People didn't know Ash was alive, but people did know Ghost was alive and kicking, and they _certainly_ knew about Ghost's reputation. Ash's questions would seem odd, but Ghost's would not.

Gary's assignment was to give Ash a distraction long enough for him to investigate the lab. When Paul had asked why Gary was the distraction, the answer was simple enough: Gary was still on speaking-ish terms with ol' Gramps and therefore it wouldn't seem ridiculously odd for him to come and talk with his grandfather. Plus, Gary also had a great way with words, so Ash's hope was that he was more than capable of distracting the good professor for as long as possible.

Of course, these things weren't the only bullet points on Ash's hit list. He also wanted to visit his mother as Ghost, because he, to this day, did not know of her role, if anything, in the betrayal. Like the plan with Professor Oak, Ash was banking on his Ghost persona and May/Serena's alibi's to get the answers he needed from his mom.

Still, the more and more Ash thought, the fewer and fewer pieces fell into place. Things were getting cloudier, daunting, and more confusing than ever. Ash was getting more questions than answers at this rate. Was his mother involved? Was Professor Oak involved? What was the true motive of everyone's involvement? Money? Power? Who else knew more than they were letting in on?

The flight landed in Viridian City after a good few hours of travel. Ash got them checked into an over-the-top hotel and gave the men room keys. "Gentlemen, tonight, we rest. Tomorrow, we begin." Ash continued. "Enjoy the room service as well, to a certain extent. Tell them it's compliments of the G."

Gary opened his mouth. "As—" Ash cocked his head slightly forward and to the side as if to say, "_Watch your mouth."_ Gary, thankfully, caught wind of what Ash was trying to say, and nodded his confirmation. The two went off to their rooms, while Ash went into his. He barely even thought about what the room looked like, how everything was laid out, or what was even in it; he was too deep into thought to care.

He sat down on his queen-sized bed and allowed his thoughts to run free.

"Pika?" A voice broke through his train of thought. He turned and saw his faithful partner looking at him curiously. He sighed a little and then scratched the rodent's ears, earning an approving "Chaaa…" for his efforts.

Ash was silent for a moment before speaking. "Something isn't adding up here buddy. I still can't figure out what kind of motives Professor Oak or my…" He hesitated. "My mother… would get from this. I was the guy who was blessed by lady luck, the guy who could capture Legendries if I wanted to. I was the loving son to her, and hell, both of them. Why would they have wanted to kill me buddy?"

His partner hopped up onto his leg and pointed at him. "Pika Pika Pipipi Kachu!" Ash nodded. "I guess you're right buddy; there's a chance that neither of them were involved and that it explains why it doesn't make sense why they hadn't done this: they _hadn't _done this."

Pikachu seemed to scold him. "Pika Pi! Pi Pi Pika-Chi!" He frowned. "You're right about that too, Drew could've had something to do with this. If he used May to send me over the edge, then he needs to pay. I hope Paul is able to do what I assigned him to do."

Pikachu tapped his foot a few times, then got an enlightened look on his face. "Chu! Chi Chi PikaPika Chi!"

"What do you mean, it'll make you feel better?"

Ash opened his mouth again to speak, but was cut off by his partner. "Pika Chu! Chuuu… Pika Chi!" Ash bit his lip roughly. "Why would visiting the grave of my close friend make me feel better? It's my fault he—"

Ash grimaced and gritted his teeth together tightly and Pikachu released a light thunderbolt head onto him, as if to say, "It was _not _your fault, so stop blaming yourself!"

Ash fell back onto the bed, a light shade of gray. When he came to his senses a second later, he grumbled softly. "Okay okay… not my fault…" Pikachu huffed and crossed his arms in front of his master. Ash pushed himself up and dusted himself off. "Still, I don't like the idea of visiting his grave. It's going to emerge old feelings from me. I….I don't know if this is such a great idea…"

Pikachu argued. "Pika Pi! Pika Pika Pi Chu Chi!" Ash hesitated for a second, thinking about what his partner of many years had recommended to him. He repeated what his partner had said. "You… you think Ghost was an alternative persona I created to try and bury the feelings of the betrayal… _and _this?"

"Pi PikaChi!?" Pikachu fired back at him. Ash's eyes widened a little as the rodent continued. "ChuPi Pichu Pika Pi Pi Pikachi!"

Ash bit his lip. He couldn't argue what his partner was saying at him. "I… I… You can't…" Ash sighed after a small sputter or two and then rubbed his temples in discomfort. "Fine. You may be right buddy. I may have trouble admitting this. I haven't even talked about this with my own elites."

Ash shook his head. "I haven't told my own elites, my closest friends, that I am the reason I couldn't save Tracy."

_XXXXXXXXXX_

After a short amount of time, Ash and Gary found themselves walking into Pallet Town with identical looks of discomfort plastered on their faces. They walked in, Ghost wearing his old hooded outfit and cape to match, while Gary wore a light magenta sweatshirt, as odd as it was, and a pair of khakis. Maybe apart they didn't look all that odd, but together they looked like Jekyll and Hyde.

Gary looked around and saw people looking at them oddly and Ash let out a small chuckle. "Feels weird to be the center of attention eh?" Gary chuckled back; a bit nervous. "You're used to it though right? Always stuck performing and acting for the good public of Alola?"

Ash joked. "You think I actually _enjoy_ giving interviews? I see your sense of humor hasn't gotten any better, and you've had six years to work on it." He started to laugh at his own joke, and Gary fired back. "Your sense of humor is as horrible as your fashion sense, and in case you needed a reminder…" He gestured to Ash's black cloak, black hat, and overall, complete black attire.

Ash gave him a look of incredulous disbelief. "Did you expect me to roll in wearing swim trunks?"

Gary grinned. "I would've been much more happy with a pool party than trying to distract my grandfather away so that my not-actually-dead friend can investigate some of my grandfather's life's work and possibly find evidence that he was part of conspirators that betrayed my friend over half a decade ago." Ash frowned as they continued their march towards their destination. "Why did you stop talking with Professor Oak anyways? The general opinion is that you two are inseparable."

Gary gave Ash a look that he got a lot from Zandra: questionable sarcasm. "Answer this: how often do you see the Alola media report things correctly when they don't ask first?" Ash bit his lip and grumbled back a little dejectedly. "Fair point you got there…"

Gary nodded and walked forward a bit more, as if trying to avoid the conversation. The old Ash would've bought it, but…

"You still didn't answer my question Gare-bear."

Gary bit his lip and kept walking, ignoring Ash entirely. Ash smirked, now knowing Gary had something to hide. He said in a quiet yet sing-song voice. "_I have the golden ticket…_" Gary cast him a look that screamed, "Are you freaking serious man?"

Gary frowned at him. "Look man, I understand you're curious, I really do, but look at it from my perspective; you just came back from the dead, you're the champion of an entire region, and now I'm on a hunt to find clues to why that very same champion was betrayed all those years ago and cast for dead. On top of it, I think you can see why I'm more than just a little hesitant to spill my secrets to the guy who's been bottling them up for years."

Ash opened his mouth to counter, but then closed it. Everything Gary had said was true. He nodded to himself more than anyone and sighed. "Well, I guess you got me there Gary. I'm a magnet for secrets. Even the fashion attire is a dead giveaway." He joked.

Gary responded with a legitimate laugh and punched his friend on the shoulder. They began their approach to the good Professor's house. Ash felt his nerves ever so slightly kick into gear, and he found himself slipping further and further out of Ghost's mantra and into Ash Ketchum again. He bit his lip hard to try and regain his focus. Fortunately for him, Gary appeared to either not notice it, or just opted to stay in his own array of thoughts.

Unfortunately, someone else _did _notice his change.

"_Pika Pi! Pi Pi ChaChi!" _Pikachu had appeared from under his cloak. Gary jumped a little and stared at Pikachu. He commented. "You did a damn good job of keeping this guy here under wraps; if you let him out more often for battles people would certainly be catching on. I would give Serena an over and under of fourteen… no… ten days if it was revealed that Pikachu was your partner. She's very intelligent."

Something about the way Gary had spoken made Ash freeze for the splittest of seconds. He turned to Gary and raised an eyebrow but then was turned back to Pikachu, who was still ranting at him. Ash spluttered. "I-I am _not _nervous!"

Gary narrowed his eyes. "Are you trying to convince us or yourself? Either way, you're not doing either right now."

Ash groaned. "Look, I'll be fine as long as we stick to the plan."

Gary raised an eyebrow. "That's a fair point; what the hell _is _our plan? Walk in there and say, "Hey Gramps! It's me Gary and Ash Ketchum! Yeah, I know neither one of us have really been on speaking terms with you for different reasons—" Ash snorted at this. "—But I need to catch up with you, like _asap_. Wanna go and grab some grub? Oh and while you're at it, leave the front door unlocked?"

Pikachu cut in. "_Pikachi! Pikachu!" _

"He was being sarcastic buddy."

Pikachu's ears drooped. "_Chaaa…"_

Ash sighed. "Look, I'll relay the plan right now then, okay?" Gary nodded and muttered. "That'd be appreciated." Ash ignored him. "Look, our plan has a few parts. Paul is out getting Drew back here using "any means possible." That's one part that's taken care of. The second part is that I need you to get the good Professor out of town—"

"Yeah yeah I know; get him out to a meal to buy you enough time to get you to break into the lab and steal whatever information you need."

Ash bit the inside of his lip. "Welllllll… actually… there's been a change of plans."

Gary looked confused. "What do you mean?"

Ash chuckled sheepishly. "Well, as it turns out, I have no idea how to break into the Professor's lab without setting off all the security."

Gary's jaw dropped. "You don't know _how _to get in? That's the entire point of why we're here!"

Ash put his hands out in front of him to try and calm Gary down. "_Relax _Gary… that was a lie. I have an idea of how to get in, but it's going to take time for me to do. Soooo… I need you to keep him _overnight _in Viridian City while I take care of business."

Gary couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So… let me get this straight: you want me to distract my grandfather, whom which I haven't been on speaking terms with in _years_, for more than a day, so you can test a theory to how to get into his lab which just so happens to be armed with state-of-the art-security systems? Don't you think it would've been nice to hear this ahead of time?"

Ash waved it off. "Relax Gary, I'll be paying for everything."

Gary cut in. "That's not the—"

"Look, do whatever you can to keep him in Viridian, if you can't, warn me. I have a good idea of how to get in, but I need to confirm it. That will take some time."

Gary shook his head. "You just told me you had no idea how to get in, now you magically have a solution to it?"

Ash grinned. "It's a perk to being a champion: when shit goes south, always have the ability to improvise."

Gary shook his head, and a moment later, they were at the front of Professor Oak's lab. Gary grumbled. "You best be doing all the talking."

Ash chuckled. "Quite the opposite. You're the man in charge."

Gary's eyes widened again. "You're not serious! I've only just been briefed on the plan five minutes ago. What am I supposed to say when he recognizes you? How am I supposed to explain why you're here?"

Ash sighed. "Fine, I'll explain why I'm here. Your reason for being here is that you want to try and mend bridges with you Gramps before he kicks the bucket. You heard I was going to Pallet to try and solve the disappearance of Ash Ketchum, as I've been handed a special note that told me the general public may not know everything to the story of Ash Ketchum and his disappearance."

Gary blinked in bewilderment. "You're going to tell him the truth of why you're here? What good will that accomplish? He's going to take action against you!"

Ash smirked at him. Gary breathed out in realization.

"You're counting on it."

Ash nodded. "I'm going to give the mouse a little cheese, and see if it takes the bait. It's a gamble, yes, but I have a foolproof plan. Either way, as long as we keep our identities intact, I will undoubtedly gain a vast amount of information from this visit."

Gary nodded slowly. "If you say so."

Ash grinned. "Now, I believe we've kept the good Professor waiting long enough. Let's re-introduce ourselves, shall we?"

Gary agreed and they walked up to the lab, not entirely sure what to expect. Ash was about to knock when the door opened, and out _he _walked. Ash felt his blood boiling in a mere instant. The man had clearly aged since he had last seen him, but that being said, he could've sworn he aged rather… gracefully. The man narrowed his eyes slightly at Ghost, as if calculating his next move. However, the instant he laid eyes on his companion, they lit up as though he was seeing color for the first time.

"I always wondered if you would come back, begging for forgiveness." Ash fought the urge to sock that man's smirk right off his face. "Gary! It's good to see you my boy!"

Gary reluctantly closed the gap between the two of them and hugged his grandfather, wrapping his arms around the older man. He put a decent amount of force behind it as well, making sure it seemed perfectly authentic. "It's… good to see you too Gramps."

"Indeed indeed!" The professor broke the hug and looked at his companion curiously. "I know I haven't met you before… wait… have we?" Ash bit his lip from underneath his hat. "No… I know we haven't met before. You would most certainly remember me." The professor cocked his head to one side, his calculating gaze back on once more.

"Who… who are you?" The older man asked.

Gary grinned. "Really gramps? I'm honestly shocked you don't recognize him." The Professor looked back and forth between the two before Ash decided to end the charade. "My name is Ghost; I am the Champion of the Alola region."

The Professor's eyes widened in surprise. It was authentic, and it was unmistakable that the Professor had no idea he was talking to Ghost. He opened his mouth to speak, but appeared unable to form coherent words. Eventually though, he found his voice. "I… I… I-I do _SAY! _This is a true honor to meet such a legendary trainer! Your success has travelled even to all the way out here in Kanto!"

Ash shook his head, fully in Ghost-mode now. "Please, the honor is all mine. 'Tis the truest honor to meet _the _Professor Oak in person! Creator of the Pokedex! The greatest Pokémon researcher to ever grace the grounds of the regions! Many people would kill to be in my shoes right now, and I had to tremendous fortune to meet your Grandson back in Alola!"

The Professor's eyes widened and seemed to praise Gary. "Is that so? This is a conversation I will certainly enjoy having! How did the two of you meet? I have many questions! But now that I think about it… having such a meaningful conversation just wouldn't do out here!"

He turned back to Gary. "Please please, come in, come in! We must have a nice chat!" Gary followed his grandfather inside, while Ash tailed behind him for some reason. The Professor sat down at his couch and television, and the two men followed suit and sat down. Oak began eagerly. "So then! Let's hear it! How did you two become acquitted with one another while in Alola?"

Ghost began with a small grin. "So, to begin with, do you know what it is we as champions must do?"

Oak frowned. "No, I don't know the specifics."

Ghost explained as simply as he could. "So, outside of my duties as a champion, I also open myself up to the public when solving issues. I pride myself on being able to help my people in any way I can. This includes solving disputes, criminals, gangs, disappearances, murders, etc. I always set time aside to try and assist everyone I can. While the tournament was going on, I got an anonymous tip that a person that had believed to have died by a tragic accident, actually died from a murder."

Oak's eyes widened. "W-why that's horrible! Who would do such a heinous thing?"

Ghost nodded bitterly. "I know. It's unreal to think that some people and Pokémon can be so cruel to kill innocents. But, I suppose that point is moot. What really confused me was that they wanted me to investigate people associated with the victim, not the actual crime itself. It was very ridiculous, but as I said before, I try to make time for each and every tip I get."

Gary added. "So, the champions are all on break as all the competitors as well are on a bye week in order to rest, relax, and prepare for the rounds of sub-32. Ghost recognized me at a restaurant and remembered I was from Pallet Town, and began to ask me questions about it."

Oak held up his hand. "I must have missed something; What does you being from Pallet town have to do with the murder Ghost here is investigating?"

Ghost nodded. "Ah yes! That would be because the deceased individual I'm investigating is named Ash Ketchum." Gary watched his grandfather closely, as Ash couldn't really afford to do so or else look suspicious. He looked as nonchalant as possible while continuing. "I discovered that Ash Ketchum was known in Pallet Town as a hero, and that he and his friends mourned his death when it happened. However, I'm trying to learn the full story, as I believe I don't currently have it."

Oak appeared to be keeping his cool on the outside. "I see… so is that why you are here?"

Ghost looked confused. "Is that why I am here? As in, here in this building, or here in this town?"

Oak bit his lip for the briefest of seconds before answering. "Both."

Ash fought the urge to laugh. He feigned confusion before acting understanding. "Oh! No no Mr. Oak! I'm simply here because I wanted to meet you in person before I headed out to my target's house. And in fact…" He stood up and checked his wrist watch. "It's time I went out there anyway. Gary, Professor, perhaps I shall see you in the near future." He made to leave, but then Professor Oak called out to him.

"Call me curious, but who exactly is your target?"

The Ghost smirked, back still facing the two Oak's.

"Delia Ketchum."

He then tipped his hat to Oak and made to walk out. The Professor stood up from his chair and said. "Ah! Hold up one moment!" Ghost turned back and watched as Oak swiftly walked past him in order to unlock the door. The Professor placed his hand on the front panel, and it beeped twice before glowing green and opening. The good Professor sighed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "My apologies. I always have believed security is of the utmost importance, even if it is a bit overboard."

_'I got you, you son of a bitch.' _Ash thought. There was no doubt about it now; Professor Samuel Oak was hiding something important.

Gary seemed to send him the same look as he walked out of the room, but not before saying. "Not a problem. It was an honor to meet you Professor." He held his hand to Samuel, who looked at it before shaking it firmly. Gary raised an eyebrow in bewilderment towards the champion at the use of the friendly gesture.

He then turned to Gary and gave him a nod with a small salute. "Till the next one."

Gary nodded dumbly at Ash, not really knowing what else he could say or do. It was now up to him to distract his grandfather enough for Ash to get the information he needed. The Professor looked at the retreating figure of Ghost with an unreadable expression on his face. After a minute, Gary decided to speak.

"He's a character, right gramps?"

The older man shut the door and turned to his son. The persona that Gary had gotten used to for years came back out and hit him full force. "What did you tell the Ghost?"

Gary scoffed. "About what?"

"About myself." The Professor said sternly.

Gary gave him a legitimately confused look. "What do you mean? I told him that you are my grandfather, world-renowned Pokémon Professor Samuel Oak, and that you happened to be the person I had been going to see." Gary suddenly flipped his mind into gear of how he could get his grandfather out of this lab and buy Ash the time he needed.

He threw his hands up and stood up as well. "And _trying _to mend my relationship with." That seemed to catch the attention of the good Professor, who stared at him in surprise. "After all this time, you want to get back in my life? What's the catch? There's obviously one, because you swore to me that until I—"

Gary cut him off. "Look. Ghost helped open my eyes in many ways in the short time I knew him. His father… his father left him in a very discomforting way. His mother isn't on speaking terms with him. He has friends; powerful allies, those that will defend him until their dying breath. But…" Gary bit his lip roughly, and continued in a broken voice.

"He reminded me that family is precious. And that, even though things may look impossible to mend, it's worth trying." Samuel Oak looked at his grandson with a calculating glance. Gary kept his gaze as normal and basic as possible. He learned a key trick: believing in the lie yourself was a key component in making the lie believable to everyone else. Silence continued to greet him.

The Professor finally sighed and rubbed his temple. "Fine. We can do this now I suppose, it'll give me some company for this event…"

Gary frowned. "What event?"

The Professor let out another sigh. "I'm sorry, you caught me at a rather busy time. I have to make a journey out to Saffron City tomorrow to meet with Steven Stone, the champion of Hoenn. I'm sure you know him. He's talking about possibly investing in a new form of pokedex, and to have his funds combined with his support from the Hoenn Region, this is an opportunity I cannot let pass."

Gary wasn't sure what to make of the situation at the exact moment. He said carefully. "So… where does that leave us?"

Samuel told his grandson. "Well, if you're serious about mending relationships… then you'll come with me to Saffron. You'll get a taste of the financial side of what I do for a living, and what it is I hope for you to become years from now."

"Is it an… overnight thing? Do I need to get my bags from the hotel room I was staying at?" Gary tried not to sound too hopeful.

"I'm afraid so. Hopefully you weren't planning to stay in town long. Well, unless you're not coming."

Gary plastered a smile on his handsome face. "On the contrary, it would be my pleasure."

The Professor nodded, a small grin appearing on his face as well. "Very well then! We leave at noon tomorrow. You're welcome to gather your things now and return here to rest, or we can meet up tomorrow here. Your call."

Gary smiled at him. "I'll be back in a couple hours with my things."

_XXXXXXXXXX_

Ash continued to look around his old hometown with the slightest of smiles on his face. It warmed his heart to see that Pallet Town hadn't changed in nearly a decade since he began his journey. Still, that exact feeling brought him immense discomfort. It was like he was back on the day he was betrayed, and that he never left in the first place. He bit his lip. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but he knew he had to act quickly. He didn't know what he was expecting, but he was hoping for good news from his informants.

As he walked towards his house, night had begun to fall. Now was the time to do what he had been fearing for quite some time. He now had to confront the only person he had ever knew as a parent. Ash desperately wanted to believe his mother had nothing to do with betrayal, but he knew he couldn't promise himself that; not when it seemed increasingly likely.

He felt Pikachu's eyes roaming him, as if studying him for any reads: anything that would help him figure out what was going through the mind of his longtime trainer.

A soft buzzing sound broke him from his thoughts. It was coming from his pocket. He pulled his cell phone from his cloak and looked at it curiously.

"_It's G. Don't text back. We're in luck with target alpha. Show up any time after 3 in the afternoon tomorrow, and you should be safe. We'll be out at noon, on route to Saffron City. It's an overnight affair with Steven Stone that relate to investing in a new form of Pokedex. As far as I know, target doesn't suspect a thing. I'll keep you posted. We will be back the day after tomorrow. Gives you time to get what you need, but I hope you've got an idea to get past his security. I'm sure clueless in that retrospect. Hope you find what you're looking for champ. Meet at rendezvous at normal time."_

Ash felt a wave of relief hit him. There had been multiple reasons that he had opted into going to see the Professor, but there were two true reasons. The first was that he wanted to see the reaction of Professor Oak when he had mentioned why he had been in Pallet in the first place. While his initial reaction hadn't given him much in terms of information, he slipped up by giving him a white lie when he spoke about his security.

For many years, the Professor just allowed random people to walk in and out of the laboratory at will and as they pleased. It was easy to assume that the Professor was hiding something as a result of this mistake.

Regardless though, Ash knew there was more than one problem with the laboratory. It was said security measures that the Professor had spoken of. There was a keypad that had numbers and letters, though it was only four spaces long. Meaning, the password was only 4 total characters. Of course, that didn't count the fact that there was a second failsafe: the handprint identifier. He knew that Aether Paradise had a way around one of them, fortunately or unfortunately, Ash already figured a way around it. The other one though, was tricky. He'd need to find a way around it by the time the Oak duo left the lab.

For now though, his target was getting closer and closer: his mother. His plan was simple: question her about himself, but from the point of view of Ghost: someone who had absolutely no idea that Ash Ketchum had been murdered, not tragically killed. Someone who had absolutely no idea of any sort of relationships between him and his parent. And of course, Someone who had no idea who was heartless enough to betray him.

Ash Ketchum himself, though, didn't even know who he could trust in Kanto. Everyone was a suspect. Who was the mastermind behind the plan? Was it Oak? Was it his mother? Was it Drew? All of them could have motives for all he knew. What he did know, though, was that he was one of the most powerful trainers to ever walk the regions. He was the champion of the most surging region of the seven. He was the bringer of justice. He had a reputation to uphold, and he would be damned if he was going to let anyone walk all over him.

Still though, he couldn't help but feel his nerves begin to kick in as he approached the place he had lived for over a decade. He was mentally pleading with himself that his mother had nothing to do with the act that deemed him ineligible to live. He frowned and pulled the hat further down on his face. He approached the house and knew there was no going back now. He motioned to Pikachu and said quietly. "Time to hide buddy."

He walked up to the door and knocked three times. The moment he did, he suddenly felt panic hit him with the force of a dump truck. He had completely forgotten about one very key portion of his mothers home. The door swung open and revealed one of the _two_ house inhabitants.

"Mime?" The Pokémon said in confusion at the sight of a cloaked man. Ash wasn't sure what he was going to expect by the end of this conversation, but he feared that he would be found out. He had totally forgotten about the Psychic type Pokémon. He had been with Mr. Mime for a decade; if anyone or anything was going to realize his true identity, it would be Mr. Mime.

And to put the cherry on top, he was unsure of their loyalties. They could reveal him. He'd need to either deal with Mr. Mime, make a run for it now, finesse his way through, or, the most likely option, get ridiculously lucky and make it through.

"Hello. I'm here to speak to a Delia Ketchum. Is she present?" The Pokémon looked confused before replying. "Mimey Mime, mime-me?"

"Trust me, she'll want to speak with me. Is she here? It's urgent." The Pokémon looked very surprised that a human was responding to it with full understanding. Ash noticed the look and grinned underneath the hat. "I can speak with all Pokémon. It's a perk of being the—"

"Mimey? Who's at the door?" He heard the voice, and although his posture or grin didn't change, he felt his heartbeat increase ever so slightly. This was it.

The woman came to the door that he had been expecting, and Ash couldn't help but be legitimately surprised. His mother looked like she hadn't aged a day. Her auburn hair and captivating eyes looked the same usual. Thankfully, he could tell she didn't recognize him. Her look of confusion passed over her face after a moment or two.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

Ash cleared his throat and prepared himself for the conversation that could inevitably cost him his identity.

"Hello mam. Do I have the pleasure of speaking to one Delia Ketchum?"

His mother nodded. "Um, yes? Who are you?"

"Forgive me, where are my manners? My name is Ghost. I'm the champion of the Alola region, and I must talk to you Mrs. Ketchum."

Her jaw slackened in surprise. "The C-Champion of Alola? All the way out here? Why? Is it truly that urgent?"

"I'm afraid so. Time is of the essence. May I please come in? There's no subtle or simple way to explain what I'm about to explain to you." The woman still didn't look so convinced. "Forgive me if I don't jump at the choice to let you into my home. What reason could you have to want to talk with me, or make the journey all the way here when you can just call?"

Ghost grimaced. "I don't think you'll want me to explain this whole situation out here? Fine. I'm here because I need to talk to you about your son's disappearance."

The look of irritation left his mother's face and was replaced by a look of pain and horror. She had a look of realization following it, as if she just found out why Ghost was talking to her about this in person. She bit her lip before sighing and saying quietly. "I suppose you made the right decision coming all the way here then. As you can probably guess, my…" She sighed. "…dead son, is a straining topic for me. He left my life so suddenly, and I'll never be able to tell him the many things I wished I could say to him."

Ghost frowned. "Well, will you at least let me come in _now_?"

Mrs. Ketchum nodded. "Let them through Mimey."

The Pokémon's eyes glowed blue for a moment or two before they returned to normal. Ash walked through the doorframe and frowned again. "Call me curious if you want to, but what exactly happened there?"

His mom gave a small smile at him. "It's a security measure I have. Mr. Mime can probe the minds of anyone who enters this house without my permission." Ash tried not to feel immense relief at the revelation. He nodded curtly. "An impressive feat, to say the least. I won't pry for any more details."

"Thank you." His mother said, and then added. "Would you like some Tea? Water?"

"Water would be good, thank you." He responded. She handed him a tray that had a single glass of water along with a pitcher of water. He filled it up himself and took a sip. His mother looked at him. "Well, I suppose we should get this over with. What is it you wish to know about my son?"

Ghost began. "Mrs. Ketchum, as the champion of a region, it's my duty to leave my doors open to my citizens and my visitors to help in any way possible. This relates from internal matters in my own region, as well as those outside, so long as it within my legal boundaries. A person who chose to stay anonymous came to me with some very disturbing news: that Ash Ketchum was not tragically killed by nature like everyone thought.

Delia's eyes widened in shock, as did Mr. Mime's. "No… don't do this. I've only just gotten o-over his death… I-I've only just came to t-terms with it… now you tell me he's alive? H-have you no honor?"

Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. Was his mother hiding something too? He sprung the trap. "I never said he was alive, Mrs. Ketchum. I only said that he didn't die the way people thought he did."

The woman paled a little. "O-oh, I see. Forgive me… I-I just assumed since you said he didn't die—"

Ash countered her. "One should never assume, especially in the terms of life and death. I need to speak with you about a select group of people. According to my various reports that I have here, Ash Ketchum was with this select group when he was presumed dead. The subjects names are Trip, Iris, Max, May, Serena, Misty, Drew—"

"I know who you are speaking of. They are some of Ash's old rivals, travelling companions, and friends. Why? Do you believe that they caused his disappearance?" Ash smirked at his mother. He was correct in his first prediction: she too did know something.

"What did I say about making assumptions Mrs. Ketchum? I only want to get information on this group of people. But something tells me you know more than you're willing to tell me, am I correct in this _assumption?_" He hissed out the word.

Mr. Mime stepped in front of Delia, and then suddenly it fainted, collapsing on the ground in front of Ghost. "M-Mimey!" Delia cried out in horror. Ghost had no visible reaction, so she lashed out at him. "W-what did you _do!?" _

Ghost grinned. "I didn't do anything. Though I may have a thought on what _did_ happen, I'll choose to keep this information to myself."

He smirked and held out his hand which had a blue pill. "I'm going to explain this now and as simply as I can. I need all the information I can get on this group of people. And you're going to tell me everything I need to know." He added sarcastically. "It's for the _greater good_."

Delia growled a little. "Why on earth would I tell you what I know?"

Ghost smirked. This was too easy. "Thank you for confirming that you do have information on the subjects."

Delia's angry demeanor vanished and was replaced by a bewildered one. "What are you talking about? I never gave you any information."

"Are you so sure? You just gave me information on the language of your words. You said, "Would I tell you what I know." That implies you _do _know something of great importance. So? Let's hear it." Ash, of course, knew his mother was lying through her teeth either way, since he was her lost son.

She scoffed. "I'm not just going to tell someone random about the people Ash travelled with."

Ash sighed. This had happened to the best of people in Pallet Town when he was deemed dead. People changed for the worse. It was sad. What was even more sad was the tactic Ash was going to use in order to get the information he needed. He never wanted to resort to the Aether Special, but this required special treatment. He spoke while rubbing his temples and then in a flash, called out his Delveon. The Pokémon trilled before taking a hostile stance towards Delia, who scrambled back in surprise.

"I'll make this simple too." He held out the blue pill once more. "I'm going to give you a choice. This blue pill here will be given to you and Mr. Mime here. It was erase your memories of the past twelve hours. You will not remember I have been here. It will, however, cure Mr. Mime from what Ail's it right now." He motioned to the unmoving Psychic type.

He held out his other hand which had a green pill. "Your other choice: This pill. It is a mind-decimating pill that will do exactly as it sounds: Attack your mind. Until I administrate the antidote, your pain won't stop. That does not mention that Mr. Mime will not be cured. So… we can do this the easy way…" He held out the blue pill. "…or the hard way." He held out the green pill.

Delia bit her lip. "What if I chose neither?"

Ash smirked. "Then I contact Grand Champion Lance and the Kanto Authorities and let them know I've made a breakthrough in the Ash Ketchum case, but a potential witness is defending and shielding the possible culprits to murder, which, as it stands…" He leaned close to her, close enough to where Delia could almost see his eyes underneath his hat. "… is a felony."

Delia realized how few options she had and then stared back at the pills. If this had been anyone else, she would be likely calling the police themselves to get the "intruder" out, but if this man truly was a champion, he would hold legitimate sway with the Kanto champion and she would be charged.

She looked down at the two pills. She slowly took the blue pill from Ghost's gloved hands and looked at it with budding curiosity. She asked quietly.

"Let's say for arguments sake… that I was considering taking this pill. How would the… interrogation process work?"

Ghost grinned. "First, I would give this pill to Mr. Mime, and he'd regain consciousness in approximately twelve hours. I keep this pill in my pocket until we finish our little chat." He pulled out another pokeball and it opened up to reveal his faithful psychic. "I will give you fair warning: if you are lying, my Pokémon will detect it. If you omit details to any question I have, my Pokémon will detect it. If you choose to answer differently to any question I have… my Pokémon _will _detect it. Am I understood Mrs. Ketchum?"

The woman nodded, though the hesitance was clearly there. As he prepared himself to take the plunge, Ash realized he had been calling her Mrs. Ketchum the entire time, and felt a little bit guilty. Whatever happened to his father, she didn't deserve the pain and suffering, well, unless she took out her bottled up anger on him and possibly caused, or at least aided, his betrayal.

He motioned to Espeon, who rolled Mr. Mime over on its back. It was still clearly passed out and unmoving, with the lone exception of its chest slowing heaving up and down. He gently jarred the Pokémon's mouth open and popped the pill inside. The Pokémon swallowed it whole. He watched it for a moment before the breathing pattern of the Pokémon slightly changed. Ash knew it had worked.

He cleared his throat and sighed. "Now… let's begin…"

He looked the older woman straight in the eye and asked the million dollar question with all the seriousness in the world.

"Were you guilty in helping murder your son, Ash Ketchum?"

**AN: Andddd done! Took too long, nearly two months to knock this chapter off. As per usual, sorry for the long delay ya'll. I would give my excuses, alibi's, etc, but you probably don't want to hear them. This chapter eclipsed 9,000 words, so more than average, but I had to leave it on a good cliffhanger. **

**Also, thanks to user Fawkes Kleiffen for letting me know that the entire chapter had been entirely bolded out.**

**Also, Happy Two-Zero baby! A fifth of a way to a hundo, but I seriously doubt it's happening to get that far. I anticipate this story is just about halfway through. Send all your questions, I'll get to them as soon as I can. To those on the front lines battling COVID and defending our country, thank you so much for your service! It's because of you all that we can continue living our lives.**

**Next Chapter will feature the Interrogation of Delia Ketchum, Ash breaking into the lab, and the confrontation with Drew. But the question remains: while we know what Ash is hoping to find, what exactly **

_**will**_** he find? Is Oak the culprit? Is his own mother the culprit? Is Drew the culprit? Are they all involved? Come back next time to find out.**

**Thanks for reading everyone. Please follow, favorite, and review! I hope to have one more update out before I go back to college in mid-August. **

**Till Next time everyone!**

**LegionZ**


	21. Delayed for the Time Being

**Hello Everyone! I'm writing this up to give you all closure (For the Time being) on the story. As you all can probably guess, I'm not enjoying writing this story. It just doesn't thrill me as much anymore. The Pokémon series is still dear to me and I still value it as a whole, but I don't have the drive to continue this story at the current moment. It doesn't help that taking eighteen credits in my current college semester is pinning my time to write down, so using that time to write something I'm not passionate about doesn't add up for me.**

**So, here's what I'm going to say. You all are used to me waiting for months to upload chapters anyway. So, I'm going to take a confirmed break from this story so I can try and find my passion for writing this story again. If I find it, I'll start writing chapters again. No, I'm not leaving fanfiction as a whole, in fact, I'm not being entirely honest with you guys in this situation.**

**Part of the reason I am not enjoying this story is because I'm seriously considering another story, still related to Pokémon, but… at the same time, it isn't really about them. There aren't any battles, there aren't any betrayals… mostly, but it's not like any of the fanfictions I've written in the past. **

**This story is a strange one. I'll briefly describe it, you all deserve that. It's a High School Fanfiction, with all the characters from my past stories, current story, centered around Football and Romance. Obviously, the main character is Ash. The secondary main characters are Gary, and my OC from the LOS Chronicles. I'm a diehard sports fan, it's something I'm ridiculously passionate about; the opposite of how I'm feeling about this story right now.**

**Will I ever come back to this story? My gut says yes. This is the best story I've ever written, and y'all have been some of the best readers out there. I just don't know how long it's going to be. But here's what I do know: I update stories more often, take more attention to them, and naturally, make them as the best as they can be. This story isn't making me feel like this at the moment; it's not driving me to be a better writer. **

**For those wondering about the cliffhanger, **_**maybe… just maybe, **_**If you really want to know about it, PM me. I feel guilty for walking away on a cliffhanger, especially as big as one as this. Maybe I'll answer you… maybe I won't. ;) **

**So because of this, I am walking away from this story for the moment, and will likely return to this story in the upcoming months.**

**Till the Next One Y'all! **

**LegionZ**


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